


Patrons of the Arts and Other Things

by Fandoms_R_Fun



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: AU - No storm, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-11-16
Packaged: 2019-06-18 08:39:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 38,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15481914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fandoms_R_Fun/pseuds/Fandoms_R_Fun
Summary: Max finds herself looking more and more at her classmate, Victoria. She sees her outside of school and is beginning to realize that she isn't the person that everyone thinks she is...(Some Context: Victoria wasn't a dick to Kate, she was instead an inactive bystander)





	1. False Apperances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a quick pilot Chapter. Enjoy.

I look up and see her again.

_Victoria. Damn, why am I always running into her..._

I sigh and look down at the sidewalk as I approach the Two Whales. When I am closer, Victoria looks up at me with a strange look in her eye. "Hey Caulfield." She speaks when I get close enough to hear her without speaking loudly. "How are you doing?"

"Umm, fine? How are you, Victoria?"

"Alive. Take that however you want, that's all I got." She takes a drag from her cigarette and sighs, the smoke slowly coming from her nose and mouth.

_The way it highlights the features of her face is...beautiful._

Victoria clear her throat and I blink a few times, coming back to reality. "It's good that you're alive. There's so many things to do."

"I'd be gardening, but the plants are kind of done for the season. I'd be taking photographs but my camera is getting worked on. I'd be hanging with someone, but I have no friends."

"What about the Vortex Club?" I look at her with curiosity.

"Those people? They only have me around cause I have a little money. I'm openly hated in the club and there is no way any of them would actually care about me. I'm just a symbol to them. I'll give you a hint, it's an 'S' with a line going from top to bottom."

"The dollar sign?" I guess.

"Exactly..." Victoria sighs and takes another drag. "Besides, my parent's cut me off from my allowance and so I don't even have enough money to buy one of Joyce's amazing waffles..." Victoria sniffles and I nod.

"Hey, I'm going in for some waffles. Would you mind keeping me company?"

"You cereal, Caulfield?"

"Jeez, I though I was the only one that still said that." she blushes and I nod. "Yeah, I'm cereal."

"Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt..." Victoria puts out her cigarette and follows me into the diner. I lead her to a corner booth, far from the other patrons of the diner, and we sit opposite each other. I look over at Victoria, who hangs her head.

"Victoria...?" I keep my voice low and look over at my guest with concern and worry.

"I'm not okay, Max. I'm just not." She looks up at me and a few tears stream down her cheeks.

"I'm here." My face becomes void of anything but concern for Victoria.

Victoria nods and takes a small, shuddering breath. "Thank you. I'd like to talk, but not here." She attempts a weak smile and somewhat succeeds. "Besides, you probably want some waffles."

"You know, I intend on getting you waffles too." I raise an eyebrow and smirk.

Victoria's smile disappears and her cheeks turn slightly pink. "You don't have to do that for me..."

"I insist. My treat." I look at Victoria's face, but don't see anything to tell me what Victoria is thinking.

_Come on Victoria, I'm holding out the olive branch here..._

"Okay," Victoria smiles and giggles a little. "But only because you've twisted my arm."

_Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen Victoria smile. It's quite beautiful..._

"Howdy Max." Victoria and I look up to see Joyce standing over them with her notebook. "You haven't been over to the house in a while. I was beginning to worry."

"Sorry Joyce, I was just busy with some school work. I'll probably stop by sometime this week."

Joyce smiles at me and nods. "It'll be nice to have you around. So, what will you two be having?"

"Well, I'll have the usual. What do you want?"

Victoria clears her throat and sighs. "A plate of waffles and a coffee?"

"Sure thing. Your orders will be out shortly." Joyce puts her notebook away and walks back to the kitchen.

Victoria looks back at me and smiles. "So, what are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just stopping by here to have some waffles and then heading back to the dorms to sit around and watch Netflix." I crack my knuckles absent mindedly. And Victoria clears her throat.

"Well, would you wanna watch a movie together? I have quite a few that we could try. If you wanted to that is." her voice fades in confidence as well as volume as she speaks.

"It would give us a great chance to have that talk that private talk you mentioned." Victoria smiles at me and I smile back. We sit for a few minutes in silence, waiting for the food to come out. When it does, they eat their food in a comfortable silence. After they're done, they take Victoria's car back to Blackwell.

_She used to have a sports car, but this old clunker does the same. I am pretty curious about what she wants to talk about. It's obviously going to be personal, but what it is, I can only wait and see...._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because the archive only allows you to have a draft for 30 days, I'm posting this chapter being a little shorter than I want to, but here it is.
> 
> Just like with all of my other fics, I'm writing on a shared computer so I won't be able to write as often as I would like and my updates will be a little infrequent until I get a new laptop. I'll try to keep updates going at a relatively constant rate and I won't disappear without letting you guys know I'll be gone for a little while.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	2. Neeerds!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - Helen Keller

As we pull into Blackwell, Victoria seems to become nervous. She begins to shake a little and when she parks the car, she starts hyperventilating. "Victoria?" I place my hand on her shoulder and she throws it back at me.

"Please Max, just... go back to your room and wait for me. I'll give you a minute or two head start. I don't want you to be seen with me..." She hugs herself and takes a few deep breaths.

"Vic-"

"JUST GO!" She shakes more and rests her head on the steering wheel. I get out of her car and begin walking back to the dorms.

_Figures, she still doesn't want to hurt her image. But if she is so concerned about her image why didn't she say 'I don't want to be seen with you' instead of 'I don't want you to be seen with me' ? I mean, that sounds like being seen with her is bad for me..._

I open the door to the girls dorms and enter, looking straight ahead and going towards my room. I glance over at Victoria's door and see that her slate is covered in messages. I walk over and look at them:

**B*tch**

**Hoe**

**Asshole**

**Queen Sl*t**

**C*nt**

**Wh*re**

Some of the letters are blurred, but it's pretty easy to see that it's just a bunch of profanities. I look at her door and there is a not nailed to it. I read it slowly and my eyes widen as I see what it says:

**Queen Bee of Blackwell,**

**Why don't you just kill yourself. No one loves you and you're going to die alone anyways. Save the world the trouble and just end it now.**

**-Blackwell.**

I can feel my insides boiling. I rip the note off and crumple it up. I use the sleeve of my hoodie to vigorously wipe away the things on her slate. I look down to see more notes on the ground. I pick on up and look at it:

**You mean nothing.**

and another:

**No body wants you.**

and yet another:

**You are worthless.**

I shake my head and pick up all the notes. I see that there are a few more notes stuck to the door and so I take those too. I bring them to my room and set them on my desk. I close the door and I take a few deep breaths.

_Maybe Victoria really does want me to not be seen with her for my sake. I mean, she's getting this kind of hate, why would she want anyone else to get that for being her friend, or even being seen around her...?_

I quickly look through them all. They are nothing but filth and hatred, except for two:

**I noticed that you are getting a lot of negative messages and letters. I want you to know that they're not true. You can come and talk to me if you need to, I'm right here if you want to vent.**

**-K. M.**

The next on is only three words, but they tell more than any grand speech could:

**I forgive you.**

**-K. M.**

I set those aside and put all of the negative letters in an empty drawer in my desk. I go back to the two good notes and look at the signature.

_K. M._

My eyes widen for a moment as I finally understand.

_Kate Marsh..._

I blink a few times and fold up the letters. I put them in my bag and wait by the peep hole in my door. As soon as I hear someone walking in the hallway, I look through the hole and see Victoria coming down the hall. She stops at her door and looks at it, stopping for a moment and then looking around. She sighs and then goes into her room, closing the door. I wait for what feels like hours, and look at my phone to see that it's only been 2 minutes.

_Here goes nothing._

I leave my room and slowly close the door, being a quiet as possible. I walk over to Victoria's door and knock quietly. I hear some movement and then the door opens quickly. She grabs my shoulder and pulls me into her, closing the door behind us. She wraps her arms around me and sobs into my shoulder. I can feel her shake as I hold her close to myself and rub her back gently. I feel her legs start to tremble and so I bring her to the couch. We sit down next to each other, Victoria still clinging to me. The only sounds for what feels like an eternity are those of Victoria's muffled sobs in my shoulder, and my hand running along the fabric of her shirt. "M-max..?"

"Yeah?"

"When you got here, were there letters on the floor and stuck to the door?"

"Yes."

"What happened to them."

"I took them." Victoria pulls back and looks at me. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are covered in tears. I wipe some of them off of her cheek and look into her eyes.

_They're so, sad. I've always seen them with a hardness to them, something that you couldn't see past. But now, she just looks so broken..._

"Why, Max?" Victoria's voice draws me back into the situation at hand. "They're hate towards me. I've been so... shitty to everyone. I deserve to get those."

"Victoria, you don't deserve malicious hate." I reach into my bag and pull out the letters from Kate. "Read these."

I watch as Victoria looks them over and her lips move along with the words. She looks at me and then at the letters again. Her lips form the letters 'K' and 'M'. Then her eyes widen and she speaks in a horse whisper that I can barely hear. "Kate..."

"You have people here for you, Victoria. You're not alone. You don't deserve to be beaten into the ground because of the mistakes you've made. You're obviously being affected by this."

"No..." She looks down at what little space is between us. I lift her chin and make eye contact again.

"Don't lie to me, Victoria. I know what this kind of thing does to a person. You've seen what Kate's been through. You can see that even someone that kind, and caring, and strong... they can fall apart. Don't just push people away and try to pretend you're okay." I squeeze her shoulder with my free hand. "It's okay to not be okay, Vic."

She sniffles and nods a few times. She stands up and goes to her desk, blowing her nose and sipping some water from her water bottle. When she turns around. She has a small smile on her face. "Thanks, Max."

"Don't mention it. Do you still wanna talk?"

"Yeah, I think I should. I've kinda kept things up in the air for long enough." She sits next to me again and picks up the note from Kate that says 'I forgive you'. "I've been in a kind of downward spiral for a little while. I was someone who was part of the Vortex club because I had a little style and I had cash. But, I couldn't just stay there forever and be the cash cow. Eventually they started going after Kate. I didn't help them, but they went after her. With you finding Kate bleeding out in the bathroom, I realized that this was something that I should have stepped up about. I got into a big fight with the other members and I was just kicked out. They'd found another kid with rich parents who fit their agenda and I wasn't needed anymore." I nod and wait to see if she would speak again. She stares at the letter in her hands for a moment and I can see a few tears fall from here eyes. She closes them and carefully, almost lovingly, folds the letter and sets it down on the table. "You know Max, I was always under the impression that you and Kate were...a thing." I cough and blink my eyes a few times, looking at her and raising my eyebrow. I try to say something, anything to ask if I'd heard her right, but the words won't come out. "I don't know why, you two just seemed like you'd be good together. You're so nice, caring, shy, willing to give up your time and happiness for that of your friends. All just like Kate. But you always had a strength when it came to standing up for your friends. You wouldn't back down when someone was trying to mess with you." Victoria's stare is distant, seeing something that is not around us at the moment. "Kate could always walk into a room and it would shine. She could make anyone happy. Even I felt a little happier when I saw her through out the day..."

"Victoria-" My voice is nothing but a croak, but her voice overpowers mine.

"Do you know what I was so friendly to you earlier?" I shake my head and wait for a moment. The silence dripping with anticipation and wonder. "I've always liked you as a person. You have more talent in your pinky than I have in my whole body and you're still a great person. You don't have to try and worm your way into a group of people. You just stroll on in and you're almost always welcomed with open arms..."

I pause for a moment, trying to think of any kind of response to that. "Hey, I... You know... I sorta..." I sigh with frustration and clear my throat. "Can we be friends?"

She stares at me for a moment and then nods. "I'd like that." Her smile fades after a moment and she bites the bottom her lip.

_She looks so vulnerable right now._

My eyes wander down to her lip and I swallow nervously.

_She also looks so...attractive._

"Would you want to be seen around me in public." I look up at her eyes and puzzle over her words for a second. "If you're seen around me you'll probably catch hell..."

"It's fine. I was Kate's friend during her time of need, and I came through to the other side fine." I give her a hug.

Victoria takes a deep breath and hugs back, squeezing me tight for a few moments. Being pressed against her, I feel the shape of her hand through my hoodie, pressed against my back. I can hear the air leave her nose, leaving a warm, tingling feeling on my cheek. I can feel she shape of her body pressed against mine and I can smell the lavender scent of her shampoo, faint yet still present. She moves away and I reluctantly let go. She moves over to the other side of the room and opens up a drawer, looking through it. I watch her hips sway slowly from side to side, ever so slightly as she thinks. I stand a few feet to the side of her and look at her face. Her lips are scrunched to the side and her guard is down, showing the innocent and frankly cute state that is her natural face.

_This is going to be a hard friendship..._

"Here we go." Victoria pulls out a handful of DVD's and sets them on her coffee table. I look at them as she spreads them out. "You can pick whatever you'd like." I nod and look back in the drawer, seeing her various movies. I see that some are covered in a cloth and I catch a peak of one of the titles:

_'Scissoring stalkings 5' what the... oh. OH!_

I blush as I look away from the drawer and pretend to have not seen the...'film'. I look over at the movies placed on the coffee table and notice that they are all various 'nerdy' movies. "I'd never expect you to be into such things."

"Hey!" Victoria places her hand over her chest if feign insult. "I have some taste for art."

I hold up a movie and look at it for a second, turning over the cover and raising an eyebrow. "Pulp Fiction?"

"Yes, it is artistic."

"Oh?"

"I mean, you just have to look at the way that it's written. It's art..." Victoria looks down at her hands and starts fidgeting.

"I never said it wasn't." I chuckle. "I just never knew you were a nerd."

"I prefer the term 'cultured' thank you very much." Victoria tries to sound upset, but her smiling and giggling betrays her.

I look over the movies more and spot one that makes me smile. "Silence of the lambs." Victoria stops giggling and looks over at it, quickly snatching it up.

"That's definitely a second date movie. Let's not watch this one."

"Second _Date_ ? I wasn't notified that you were trying to go out with me." Victoria looks at me for a moment in shock. "You lured me into your bedroom and now you're trying to woo me with movies? Why I never..." Victoria tries to speak but it only comes out as garbled noises. I cross my arms and stare at her. She stares at me for a moment and I try to keep a straight face, but I start laughing and Victoria looks at me with her jaw open for a minute. "Calm down, Vic. I know what you meant. I'm just having some fun with you."

"It's not really that funny."

_ahh shit..._

"Vic." I sit next to her and give her a one armed hug. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to be funny and lighten the mood. I shouldn't have done that..."

_And based on what she keeps hidden in that drawer I think that jokes about her liking someone might be a little too close to home..._

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything by it." She smiles and hugs me back. "Besides, I do need a few laughs in my life right now. Let's just pick a movie and relax. I'll leave you to it. I gotta go brew some popcorn anyways." She gets up and goes to her desk, writing as short note and grabbing a big bowl and a few bags of microwave popcorn. "I'll be back in a few." She smiles at me and walks out the door.

I let my head fallback and hit the wall.

_Shit..._

I take a deep breath and pull out my phone:

_**Me: Hey...** _

_**Chloe: Hey, Maximouse. What's up?** _

_**Me: Well, I think I might need a friend to tell me I'm awake and sane right now.** _

_**Chloe: What's going on?** _

_**Me: I'm friends with Victoria Chase now and I'm sitting alone in her room while she makes popcorn so we can watch a movie.** _

_**Chloe: Please tell me you're fucking with me here...** _

_**Me: I'm not. I bought her dinner, we came back to her dorm, I found hate mail and death threats on her door, I got rid of them, and we had a heart to heart conversation.** _

_**Chloe: Max, I always figured you'd go that way but I always sotra figured that you'd go for Kate.** _

_**Me: Funny, that's what Vic said too.** _

_**Chloe: vic?** _

_**Chloe:Vic?!** _

_**Chloe: VIC?!?!?!!?** _

_**Me: Calm your tits woman, it's her name.** _

_**Chloe: IT"S HER NAME FOR HER MINIONS! WHEN DID YOU FORGET THIS IS VICTORIA DUCKING CHASE!?!** _

Normally I'd at least chuckle at her auto correct, but this time I don't.

_**Me: When did you forget that SHE IS GETTING DEATH THREATS CHLOE!** _

_**Chloe: Oh...** _

_**Chloe: I kinda glossed over that part. Shit, Max...** _

_**Me: Shit is right. I know she was never your favorite person in the past but she's never really been that bad of a person. She's just always been the one who tags along with the asshole kids like a sad, lost puppy.** _

_**Chloe: Well if you're going to be her friend you do realize that you'll get dragged into whatever is going on with her.** _

_**Me: Yeah, I know.** _

_**Me: Hold on a minute, I'm gonna do something.** _

I press a few buttons and open the messaging app that we use.

**GROUP CHAT has been created**

**CHLOCHLO has been added to the chat**

**BUNBUN has been added to the chat**

**Maxi: Hey guys**

**BunBun: Hey Max.**

**ChloChlo: Hello ladies.**

**BunBun: Hey Chloe.**

**BunBun: So Max, why'd you make a new group chat.**

**Maxi: Because, I've made a new friend. Someone who you two kinda know, but who is a good person. I wanted to bring them in here and we could start a conversation. That way, if the 4 of us end up meeting in person, things won't be so tense.**

"Hey Max." I jump up off the couch and drop my phone on the coffee table as Victoria walks over with the popcorn. "Oh, sorry to spook you."

"No, it's fine."

**Bzzt.**

I look over at my phone and take a deep breath. "Hey Vic, do you have discord?"

"Nope. Why? You wanna text me?"

"Kinda." I cross my fingers and wait for her to say something.

She chews on a handful of popcorn and then shrugs. "I could always make one."

"Okay. I'll write down my username." I take out a pen and piece of paper and write it down. "just add me and send me a message." Victoria nods and I see her opening up the app store on her phone. I lean back and open up my messages.

**\------------5 new messages------------**

**ChloChlo: Is this who I think it is?**

**ChloChlo: Because if it is, then it will be hella awkward no matter what.**

**BunBun: I'm sure everything will be fine.**

**BunBun: I am a bit curious though.**

**BunBun: Max?**

I see that Victoria is punching my username in and I wait for the friend request. When I see it I chuckle and add her a friend. "Hey, can I add you to a group chat? They won't know who you are. I'll just introduce you as someone else and you can see them as they are around me..." I look at her and she is visibly torn.

"I'll give it a try. If...If things go bad, don't try to defend me, okay? If they're mad at me just let them say what they want to say..."

I nod and take her hand squeezing it for a moment. "Thank you."

**ANIM3N3RD has been added to the chat**

**Maxi: This is my friend, Jane.**

**BunBun: Hello, my name is Kate.**

**ChloChlo: Yo, I'm Chloe**

**Anim3N3rd: I'm me.**

**Maxi: We are gathered here today, to join Jane, into friendship with these three people. If there is anyone in the crowd who is opposed to this union, please speak now or forever hold your** **piece**.

I heard loud bouts of laughter through the wall from the next room over.

**Maxi: Kate, I can _hear_ you laughing through the walls.**

**ChloChlo: lol**

**BunBun: I'm sorry, that was just out of no where.**

**Anim3N3rd: I object.**

**Maxi: Why's that?**

**Anim3N3rd: You haven't even bought me dinner yet!**

**Maxi: Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you only liked me for my ability to buy you food.**

**Maxi: For the record, I have already bought you dinner.**

**Anim3N3rd: I guess you have a point.**

My phone buzzes a few times but I ignore it.

**Maxi: Well, does anyone else object?**

I switch to the other chat for a moment

**ChloChlo: Is Jane really Victoria?**

**ChloChlo: I'll keep quiet but it would be nice if you'd tell me.**

**ChloChlo: I promise I'll play nice and won't tell Kate.**

**Maxi: Yeah, it's her.**

I hear a buzz and look over at Victoria. "Chloe just sent me a friend request."

"Huh, nice." I nod and then go back to the group chat.

**Maxi: Since I hear no objections**

**Maxi: I now pronounce this friendship,**

**Maxi: A thing.**

**ChloChlo: dun Dun DUN!**

**BunBun: YAY!**

**BunBun: I have a new person to show pictures of Alice! (that's my bunny, thus the name).**

**BunBun: TheRealBunBun.JPEG**

**Anim3N3rd: AWE**

**BunBun: I KNOW RIGHT?!?!**

**ChloChlo: Hey, can I come over and pet Alice?**

**BunBun: Sure. Max, you wanna come over too?**

**Maxi: rain check please. I have some stuff to take care of first. Can I come over for a tea date tomorrow?**

**BunBun: Sure thing! I'll even let you break out the bunny treats.**

**Anim3N3rd: Bunnies have treats?**

**BunBun: They're dog biscuits. Alice is a lil bit of a weirdo when it comes to what she likes to eat. But I love her.**

**Maxi: Hey, me and Jane are gonna be doing something so we won't be answering much.**

**BunBun: Okay, have fun you two**

**ChloChlo: Don't get her pregnant.**

**Maxi: CHLOE!**

**ChloChlo: You heard me.**

**Maxi: That's not even possible.**

**ChloChlo: Still don't get her pregnant.**

**Maxi: I can't, I'm female.**

**ChloChlo: I believe in your abilities, Max.**

**ChloChlo: Now go have fun XP**

I hear Victoria chuckle beside me. "I like your friends. They're fun."

"They can be. So, I figured we could watch Pulp Fiction."

"Sure." Victoria grabs the movie and goes over to her bed, laying down and moving the pillow so she can sit up and rest against it. "Well come on." She pats the bed next to her and I get up, laying beside her. She reaches across me and grabs her laptop, putting the disk in and playing it. She turns up the volume enough for us to hear it. She sets the popcorn between us and the computer is set on her lap, tilted towards me. We sit in silence and watch the movie. I look over from time to time and see Victoria wrapped up in the movie and I smile, happy to see her in a stable state. When the popcorn is finished, we set the bowl to the side. Eventually my eyes feel heavy and the last thing I see before I slide into sleep is a conversation going on and the vague idea the Victoria is very close to me.

_ **Victoria:** _

I smile as the credits roll and I go to look at Max when I notice that she is fast asleep. I close the computer and slide it into the space between my bed and the wall.

_I can always just grab it later._

I roll back over to wake up Max, but she grips my shirt tightly in her hands. Her face is so relaxed and carefree, I can't bring myself to disturb her.

_Besides, it's late. She needs her sleep._

I pull my phone out of my pocket and wrap my arm around Max, feeling her nuzzle into me.

_If she wakes up, I'll just tell her I sleep with a teddy bear and I fell asleep before the movie finished. She'll believe that, right...?_

I am pulled back to reality when I feel how warm Max actually is. I can smell her vanilla shampoo and I feel how soft and cozy her hoodie is.

_Oh cut it out you weirdo, she's probably just straight. Besides, you're her friend. She's taking you in and helping you through a hard time. Don't take advantage of her kindness..._

I open discord and look at my chat with Chloe:

**ChloChlo: Hey**

**Anim3N3rd: Hi Chloe.**

**ChloChlo: So why are you talking to Max, Victoria?**

**Anim3N3rd: Hmm?**

**ChloChlo: I know it's you, Max confirmed it. I won't tell anyone it's you and I promised to play nice, but I need to get a few things straight.**

**ChloChlo: Max told me about the threats and that she is your friend now. I'm willing to look at you as a friend if you prove that you really were just tagging along with the Vortex Club, and not just trying to get sympathy from my friend.**

**ChloChlo: I care about her and Kate over everyone else in this world except for my own girlfriend and my mother. I'd do anything for them and I won't let someone try and hurt them.**

**ChloChlo: If you hurt Max or Kate, you'll deal with me. And trust me, you will wish you hadn't**

**Anim3N3rd: I won't hurt them.**

**ChloChlo: Then we have an understanding?**

**Anim3N3rd: We do.**

**Anim3N3rd: And thank you...**

**ChloChlo: It's nothing.**

**ChloChlo: I figured that if they were giving you a change, I should too :)**

**Anim3N3rd: I meant about talking to me the way you did.**

**Anim3N3rd: I'm glad that Max and Kate have someone who is willing to protect them**

**Anim3N3rd: They deserve to be stood up for.**

**Anim3N3rd: I've been a shit person, but I want to become better.**

**Anim3N3rd: If I ever hurt them, make sure that I pay for it.**

**Anim3N3rd: For their sake.**

**ChloChlo:...**

**ChloChlo: This is not where I expected this conversation to go, but it sure is...interesting?**

**Anim3N3rd: Yeah. It is.**

**Anim3N3rd: So...**

**Anim3N3rd: Is Alice as soft and fluffy as she looks?**

**ChloChlo: Oh hella yeah :)**

Chloe and I talk for a few minutes and then I tell her I'm going to sleep. We say good night and I put my phone on my night stand. As I move, I can hear Max whine quietly and she moves closer. I lay still and smile to myself. She settles in and I let my own eyes close, the world around me slowly fading from my mind.

_When she wakes up I have to pretend I don't love being close to her as much as I do. I have to pretend this is an awkward kinda thing that happened and I don't necessarily love it. But in this moment, even if it never happens again, I feel safe. With her by my side...I don't feel scared anymore..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is growing a lot quicker than I imagined. Nice.
> 
> This chapter has a lot more back and forth messaging than what I'm used to writing and I'm sorry if it's too much, but I had to introduce the whole group chat and side chat stuff. It won't be this intense in future chapters.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	3. Tea Time Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning:   
> Chapter contains bullying that some may/will find disturbing.  
> Chapter contains thoughts of self hatred.

Slowly, the world begins to come together. I can hear birds chirping, signaling the arrival of the day. I feel a soft, smoothness in my hands. There is a comforting warmth beside me and I am being held close to it. I yaw and nuzzle into it. I feel a gust of warm air against my ear and I shudder at the sensation. "Good morning, Max." I open my eyes and pull back, coming face to face with Victoria. She has dark bags under her eyes and I can feel my cheeks beginning to warm up. "You both fell asleep, but you just looked too peaceful to disturb..." She closes her eyes for a moment and then looks at me again, something hidden in her eyes. I go to say something, but I don't have any words. I just close my mouth and slowly nuzzle back into her.

_I don't know why, but I just feel comfortable like this. She's just so...inviting. I know it's one sided, but I'll take what I can..._

I feel her chest vibrate as Victoria chuckles and hug me again. "We do have to get up sometime. We still have classes, you know."

"Did I ever tell you I'm not a morning person." I throw back, half heartedly. I don't want the moment to end, even though I know that it will.

"Well I kind of guessed that." Victoria quips back. "But, you should get up and go back to your room so you can get ready."

"Okay. Do you want to hang out later at some point? Study or something?"

"Sure." Victoria sounds nervous and she sighs. "Are you sure that you want me around? I mean I won't bother you during the school day, but I don't want you to feel like you have to help me or be my friend."

"Victoria, I'm here because I want to be. If you and I are around each other, I would be fine with you coming over and talking to me. I'm willing to be your friend and I don't care what other people think."

She nods and smiles small, her voice only a whisper. "I wish I could be like you sometimes. You're so much stronger than I could ever be..." I hug her and I can feel her press her head into my shoulder, sighing contently. "Thanks for everything, Max. I'm glad we can be friends."

"No problem." I get up and stretch, hearing my back crack a few times. "I will have to ask that you don't try to talk with Kate too much. She doesn't know the nice you yet and I don't want her to be thrown into a situation where you two are forced into the same room. I'll be having tea with her after classes today and I'll try and open her up to the idea that you're not a bad person. Okay?"

She hesitates as she moves over to her closet to grab some clothes. "Okay. Just...don't mess up your friendship over me, okay? If you have to choose who you're friends with, I want you to choose Kate."

"I'm not choosing between my friends, Victoria. That's not who I am."

"I know. I know that, I know that. I. Know." Victoria takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes. "But if a situation ever arises and you are given and ultimatum or some kind of catch 22 situation, just remember that I am more than willing to take one for the team if it means that you guys get to be happy and okay..."

I don't have anything to say to that so I just nod slightly, going to the door and heading back to my room. Once inside, I throw my head back and let it rest on the door, thinking about the implications of what Victoria said to me.

_"...I am more than willing to take one for the team..." could I ever do that? Could I ever just push someone away and forget everything they mean to me for the greater good? Why would I even put myself in that kind of situation. I know I care too much about people, but I wouldn't put my friends in a position where they'd need me to cut someone out of my life. Would I...?_

I let my mind stew over the possibilities and I can do nothing but slide to the floor and close my eyes, letting my fears overwhelm me.

\----------------------

Class is quite boring. When I came to photography today, Kate was in her usual spot and we exchanged smiles and a little small talk before class. When Victoria came into the room, Kate looked over at her and I could see a mixture of pity and anger in her eyes. Victoria was wearing a pair of normal blue jeans with a few holes in the bottom and an old and worn turtleneck sweater. She keeps her head down and takes a seat in the corner of the back of the room. She doesn't look at us and she just takes out her notebook and stares at it.

_I hope that I don't mess this up. Kate knows that I am a person who gives everyone a chance, too many really. But I think that I'm at least a somewhat fair judge of character..._

I sigh to myself and blink a few times, looking back up at the board and seeing Mr. Jefferson writing down our assignment. I write it down in my planner, which I throw in my bag, and then begin gathering up my other things. Soon after everything is in my bag, the bell rings. I see Kate look over at me and smile. She gets up and walks out of the room. I can see that Victoria is moving slowly and almost all of our peers are gone, except for Dana, who is talking to Mr. Jefferson about her project. I get up and walk over to Victoria, waiting for her to look up at me. She doesn't so I clear my throat. She just keeps staring at her desk and so I take a seat next to her, poking her shoulder. "Vic, what's wrong." I keep my voice low and try to cover up some of my concern, failing to miserably. Victoria slowly looks up at me and I can see that the side of her face has a large bruise on it and some scratch marks that I didn't see from my seat. "What happened?"

Victoria looks down again and shakes her head slowly. "It's nothing."

"Well nothing handed you your ass, Victoria." She slowly looks over at me and sighs.

"It's okay Max. Just go over to Kate's. She'll get worried if you're late..."

_She is right, but I don't see Victoria as someone who you can just leave alone to her own devices. I hope I make the right choice here..._

Victoria sighs and doesn't look at me. Her hands grips the desk and she closes her eyes. "Just leave me alone right now, okay? I just need to be alone..." Her voice sounds broken and full of tears, but I don't want to push her too far. I begrudgingly get up and leave, heading to the dorms. On the way, I run into Chloe.

"Hey Mad Max! What's up?" She smiles wide and I sigh. Chloe's smile wavers and she begins to look concerned. "Seriously Max, what's going on?"

"Walk and talk." I walk past her and begin moving to the dorms. After a second I hear her hurried footsteps next to me. I glance over for a second to make sure it's her and then sigh. "So I'm going go talk with Kate for a little while."

"Yeah, I remember you guys set up a tea date. What's wrong with that?" Chloe moves ahead of me and looks back.

I stop as we reach the dorm entrance and look at her. "Because I want to talk to her about Victoria."

"Woah woah woah, hold up." Chloe holds up her hands and raises an eyebrow. "Don't you think that's a little too soon? I know that you are friends with she who shall not be named but I don't think that Kate is ready for that."

"Relax Chloe, I'm only going to see if she's ready to be around her and let her know that Victoria is not a bad person."

Chloe nods a few times and hugs me. "Be careful and good luck, Max. Lemme know what happens." She pulls back and she's smiling at me again. "And by the way..."

"I swear if you say 'don't get her pregnant' I will beat you like a blue headed stepchild."

Chloe begins laughing madly and wipes her eyes, gasping for air. "Go on and get in there already." I pat her shoulder and shake my head, walking into the dorms and over to Kate's room. I knock on the door gently a few times and wait for Kate to answer. But no answer comes.

I look around and see that no one is in the hall and none of the doors are open. I knock again, slightly louder this time. Nothing.

_Maybe she's in the bathroom...? I'll check the showers first. Maybe she's freshening up._

I peak into the girls shower and I see Kate, her hands gripping the sink tightly and her face a pale white. I walk over to her and put my hand on her shoulder. Kate sweeps my hand away and I step back for a second, looking at her in shock. "How fucking dare you!" I stare at Kate, frozen in shock.

_Why is Kate exploding at me? I know that she might not react well to the Victoria thing, but she doesn't know about it!_

"K-kate..?"

"Don't you Kate me!" She shoves a finger into my chest and I almost trip backwards due to the surprise and the force with which she does it. "I know that you don't have any friend named Jane and that it was Victoria." She shakes her head and looks away. "You know, I'm not that upset that it is Victoria, I'm mostly upset that you lied to me. That you assumed that I couldn't handle having a civil conversation with someone. It feels like you just took away my choice to have an honest conversation with the woman." Kate pulls on her hair and looks in the mirror. "She told me last night who she was. I was upset at first but I was able to talk to her some. We agreed that we'd at least be civil about things. I'm just upset that you took away my choice in the matter..."

I sigh and hold onto my elbow. "Kate, I didn't do it to trick you..."

"Why then!?" Kate whirls at me and the happiness that always graces Kate's face is gone now. Replaced with a fuming anger and seething hatred. "Tell me the truth!"

I gulp and look Kate in the eye. "Victoria was really...down. I was trying to help her and so I brought her into the group chat. I wanted her to see what my friends are like. She wouldn't have been able to see what you and Chloe are like normally if you knew it was her. I just wanted to show her what I have with my friends. I was going to tell you in a little while, but I wanted to make sure Victoria understood what it's like. To have good friends that are there for you..."

Kate's face is neutral and she has gone from pulling at her hair to crossing her arms. "Max..." She sighs and walks over to me, hugging me close. "I'm sorry."

"Kate, can we talk in my room for a moment? I need to show you something..." I pull back and Kate nods. We walk into my room and I close the door behind us, walking over to my desk. "I found these the other day. At the bottom of Victoria's door." I pull out the stack of letters and set them on my desk. Kate walks over and opens them up, looking over them slowly:

**Dear Victoria,**

**You are what is wrong with this school. We need less of you and more people that matter. Please end it.**

**\----------------------**

**Victoria,**

**You are nothing. You mean nothing. Your life needs to end.**

**\---------------------**

**You are nothing but a scourge on society. End it.**

**\-------------------**

**Life on campus would be better without you here. Do something about it.**

**\--------------------**

**Step away from your throne as "Queen Bitch of Blackwell" or you will be queen of your own Shallow grave.**

**\------------------**

**Life is sacred, your existence defiles it.**

 

Kate's look switches between disgust, horror, and sadness. After a while she put the notes down and looks over at me. "Why...?"

"I don't know why people would do that-"

"No, Max. Why do you have these?" Kate interrupts me and it takes me a second to answer her.

"People just left them there. I didn't want Victoria to get hurt by seeing all of these. I took them and I looked through them all. I found your letters and gave them to Victoria. She held onto them and she read them several times. I also erased obscenities off of her slate and I took a note down that was nailed to her door." I pause and sigh to myself, my voice dropping in volume. "I just want her to be okay..."

Kate rubs my shoulder and nods. "Max, come on. Let's go grab some tea. I'm sure you want a break from this shit..."

"Yeah, I do." I nod and we walk over to Kate's room. Kate puts on the tea and sits next to me on the couch, giving me a one armed hug.

"I'm sorry for all the yelling. I just... I misunderstood things and I jumped to conclusions. You're my best friend and I should know better than to think you were pulling the wool over my eyes."

"Well I forgive you." I smile at Kate and, after a few moments, Kate smiles back.

\----------------------------

After a few hours of drinking tea, Kate and I part ways. I go out into the hallway and knock on Victoria's door. She answers, but holds the door mostly shut, only looking at me through the gap in the door. "Max, I still need to be alone okay? I'll come talk to you when I'm ready. Just...I need some space you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. It's fine. I'm always available."

"Yeah..." With that, Victoria closes the door.

\----------------

The next day, I go to classes. I see Victoria in the hall a few times, but she is hurrying between classes. In photography, she still sits in the same corner, never looking up, and never speaking to anyone.

\-----------------

The day after that, the same thing happens.

\-------------------

It keeps happening all week.

\-------------------

On Saturday, I do all my homework and check the group chat. Lots of messages between Kate and Chloe, only one from Victoria.

**Anim3N3rd: It's okay guys. I just need a little space. You know how it is.**

_I know what it's like to want some space, but this is a bit much..._

\--------------------

Sunday, I spend the day walking around Campus and visiting with Kate and Chloe. I spend some time petting Alice as well, reveling in how soft her fur is. When I am alone, I walk around and look for Victoria, I only see her once. She is sitting on a rock, looking at the sunset. Even from as far away as I am, I can see that her face is red and puffy, covered in black and blue bruises, a scar going across her cheek. She is wearing the same sweater and Jeans as she did last week. When she sees me, she gets up and turns around, walking into the woods. I try to follow her, but I get lost myself and have to backtrack until I am back at Blackwell. When I get back, it is after dark and Victoria is walking across the lawn to the dorms at a hurried pace.

**Maxi: I'm worried about Victoria.**

**BunBun: She still avoiding you?**

**Maxi: I just caught her walking off into the woods and I just got out of there to find her running back to the dorms.**

**BunBun: I'm sure she's just trying to figure things out.**

**BunBun: Give her** time...

\-----------------------

Monday passes with no glances or visits from Victoria

\---------------------

As does Tuesday

\--------------------

And Wednesday

\------------------

And most of the day Friday. Then, I see her going to the woods again. "Kate, take my stuff, I'll catch up with you later." I had her my book bag and make a B-line for the trees, following Victoria as best I can without giving myself away.

\------------------

_ **Victoria (Yesterday):** _

After classes, I go to Max's room and knock on the door. It opens up and I walk inside. I look around but I can't see her.

_Well, she's probably at Kate's or something. I'll just leave her a note._

I walk over to Max's desk and I see letters on her desk. I see the one on top and I feel my heart drop, my gut twist into a painful knot, and my eyes suddenly burn. I look at the next one, a tear slowly running down my cheek. I take the pile of letters and run back to my room, closing the door and falling against it, sliding to the floor. I look over every letter at least a dozen times before my heart is completely shattered and my mind is crushing itself with ideas and the knowledge that Max has been writing these letters.

_ **Victoria (20 minutes ago):**_

_Nothing about you is worth saving._

_You are worthless._

_How could anyone be friends with someone like you._

I hold my head in my hands and sob silently I pull on my hair and shake violently.

_I NEED OUT OF THIS! I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!_

I grab the knife and hide it in my sweater, taking off towards the woods.

 

_**Victoria (Present):** _

_You're a waste of space._

_No one loves you._

_This world is better off without you._

_No one will be sad if you die, they'd be proud you made your first right choice._

_Life you sacred, your existence defiles it._

Their words echo in my mind. All I can hear is their joyous cheers and laughter that will come when they hear I'm dead. I imagine the world without me: Better, cleaner, safer, the colors brighter, the sun warmer.

_I have to do this. It's the only way to make things right..._

**_Max:_ **

I keep following Victoria until we reach a small area that is clear of trees. I watch her lean against a tree and slump to the ground with a thud. She reaches under her sweater and pulls out a knife, slowly taking it out of it's sheath. "NO!" I run out and stop short of her, kneeling down a few feet away. "Victoria, put that away."

"I told you I need to be alone Max..."

"I won't leave you like this. I know you're going to do something stupid and it's not going to be pretty."

Victoria looks at me, her eyes dead and lifeless. "Why would you care, Maxine?"

"What are you talking about?" I can hear the wild desperation and fear dripping from my voice.

"I saw the letters you were writing me. You don't have to pretend anymore."

_Letters, what lett-... SHIT!_

"No! Victoria, I didn't write those letters! I found them at the bottom of your door and I took them so you wouldn't see them..."

"Why would you do that?" Victoria places the knife tip against her chest and my vision blurs from the tears I'm trying to hold back. "It's not like you care."

"I do!"

 _ **"WHY!?"** _ Victoria screams in at me.

So, I get in her face and scream back:

"BECASUE I **LOVE** YOU, YOU STUPID FUCKING **ASSHOLE**!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	4. Giving up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen to these first. They set the mood...  
> Elena Tonra -Blue and Grey  
> Mogwai - Take Me Somewhere Nice

_**Max (Present):** _

I can feel my heart pounding and Victoria's face is only a few inches from mine. A lone tear leaves my eye, slowly trailing down my face. Where it touches, there is a coolness left on my warm face. I look into Victoria's eye. They are dark, full of bitter hatred and agonizing pain. I can hear a gentle pitter patter of the rain slowly and gently hitting the pine trees. I feel Victoria's hand on my chest and my breath stops. I find myself holding my hand over hers. She shoves me away and it is like she has reached inside me and crushed my heart with her bear hands. "Stop LYING to me Max! Just leave me alone already! I hate you and I never want to see your stupid face again!" Her words cut me like her knife never could. I feel my chest clench tight and I feel sick.

"I'm not leaving you alone!" I hold onto the hand holding the knife and I twist it away from her point it at myself. "If you want to be alone you'll have to kill me..." I can feel my hands shake and I close my eyes, waiting for the blade to part my flesh. The tears flow easier now, some falling from my eyes and directly into the ground. I feel the cold metal of the knife brush against my skin and I fail to hold in a quiet sob. The knife stops and I feel it move away. I open my eyes to see Victoria holding the knife in her lap, looking over at me.

"I can't Max. I won't do that to you..."

There is a moments pause where we look into each other's eyes. "Why"

Victoria moves so she's kneeling, her body mere inches away from mine. Her voice has life again, coming out in a wavering whisper. "I love you. I don't know if you're telling the truth, but I honestly love you."

I squeeze my eyes shut and I begin to shake. "I really do love you, Victoria." I look back at her and take a shuddering breath. "Why don't you believe me."

"Because everyone lies Max. You're just lying to me because for some reason you want to use me."

"That's not true!" I shake my head and begin clawing at my arms, losing what little control I had.

"Prove it..."

_**Max: (Sunday):** _

I sit in Kate's room with my hands in my lap. I sigh and shake my head. "I don't get it. Kate. I didn't do anything to her. I didn't hurt her or get her angry. I was her friend and I've been trying to help her. I know that she wants time to herself but I'm worried. I don't want her to be alone, I don't think it's what she needs."

"Max." Kate holds my hand and sighs. "Max, I don't know what to tell you. I think that she just needs more time. Some people are just down and they need time to think. Sometimes they just need to look at themselves and think about life."

"But you didn't see her there Kate. She looked like she'd been crying. She had bruises on her face and even a scar. People have been bullying her and I think that it's taken a toll on her mind. I don't feel okay with her being alone."

"Then why don't you just go talk to her."

"I've tried to. She refuses to answer her door anymore." I remember trying to talk to her the day before and her not answering.

"Are you sure she's in there when you knock?"

"Yes! I always wait until she's back in her room."

"Maybe she's listening to music or something..." Kate looks at the floor and shakes her head. "I just don't know Max. This is something that I just don't have the answers for..."

I nod and take a deep breath. "I'm going to go visit someone." Kate nods and I hug her, heading off to meet with the only other person I can think of going to.

\---------------------

"It sounds like she's isolating herself pretty badly." Chloe nods and rubs her forehead. She is sitting on her bed, a cigarette in her hands. She taps it against the side of her ashtray, some of the burned bits falling off. "Sounds like she took a beating too. Maybe she just doesn't want to deal with the people who are hurting her."

My head is in my hands as my breath hitches and I sob quietly. "Why is she avoiding _me_...? I'm not hurting her!"

I hear the bed springs squeak and boots walking on the floor. Chloe crouches next to her chair that I'm sitting in and wraps her arms around me. "Relax, Max. She just wants to be alone. She just doesn't want to deal with anyone." She rubs my back and I rest my head on her shoulder. We stay like this for a little while and enjoy the silence. Eventually, after a long while of silence, Chloe speaks again. "Max, do you have feelings for her?"

I straighten up and look back at her. "Why are you asking me Chloe...?"

"Because I want to know. I'm your best friend and I want to help you as best I can. that requires that I know what's going on here."

I close my eyes and nod. "I've been crushing on her for quite a while, but it just kind of came to a peak a little while ago. The night I introduced her to you guys as Jane, I was hanging out with her and we had a movie night. We watched Pulp Fiction and I fell asleep. I saw some DVDs that she was trying to hide. was of them was a lesbian porn movie. I realized that she might be interested in women. I fell asleep during the movie and when I woke up, I was holding her shirt and she had her arms wrapped around me. I noticed all these little details about her and I felt how warm it was. It should have been awkward, but I just felt safe. I felt safe and happy in her arms..." I feel Chloe squeeze my hand.

"It sounds like you love her."

"I do..." I take a deep breath and look over at Chloe. "But I don't even know how to talk to her about it when things are okay in her life. The last thing I need to do is drop that on her when she's going through a time like this..."

"I get it." Chloe stands up and holds out her arms. I stand up and give her a tight squeeze. "Just be there for her. Be her friend. That's what she needs right now. In time, you can talk to her and let her know how you feel, but right now you just need to be there for here. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"And Max?"

"Yes Chloe?"

"Since you already walked here in the dark and snuck up into my room, you should stay here and I can drive you into school in the morning. Okay?"

"That's pretty early Chloe. You sure you can handle that?" I poke her in the shoulder.

"Oh please, I went to school for years. I know how to get up in the morning." We smile and I lay on the bed, Chloe laying down next to me. "Thanks, for telling me about your thing for Vic. I know that you wouldn't tell that to just anyone."

"I wouldn't even be able to tell Kate about it. She and Victoria are civil, but that's about it."

"Yeah," Chloe rubs my shoulder. "I mean, that's leaps and bounds ahead of where they were before though."

"Yep." I close my eyes and sigh, leaning against Chloe. "Well, I've made friends with the enemy, I fell in love with her, and now I'm admitting it to the person who's basically my sister. This has been a long week..."

"That's how it works."

"Hey, Chlo?"

"Yeah?" Chloe and I face each other. Her eyebrow is raised and she is waiting patiently for me to speak.

"How do you show someone you love them?"

"Well there are a few ways. If it's over time, then you'd want to just be there. Be a good friend. Smile and give them your attention and just be genuine with them. Be yourself." I nod and Chloe pauses for a moment. "If it's immediate, then you have a few options. The one I would advise is a kiss."

"I've never kissed anyone before..."

Chloe sighs and looks down. "You tell this to anyone and I will kill you." I look back at Chloe and nod. "If you want to learn about how to kiss, I could teach you."

I feel my cheeks heat up and I clear my throat. "That'll be a little awkward."

"I know, but we're two adults who understand that it's not actually anything romantic. Besides, this will stay between us and it's only for your sake."

"Okay..."

 

_ **Max (Present):** _

I shake my head and begin clawing at my arms, losing what little control I had.

"Prove it..." I look up at Victoria as her voice fades.

I lift my right hand and place it on her cheek, placing my left hand on her hip. I pull her closer and press our lips together. My right hand moves onto the back of her head and pulls her deeper into the kiss. My left hands moves along the small of her back and I pull her against me. I slide my tongue along her bottom lip and then move it into her mouth. As my tongue touches hers, she quickly wraps her arms around me and presses us against each other. She kisses back with passion as the rain begins to pour. I feel the rain soak into my clothing, but I keep kissing Victoria, pressed against her and she holds onto me for dear life. I feel one of her hands in my hair, holding it tight as her nails dig into my side. I breath through my nose and I can feel Victoria's breath against my nose and cheek as well. I can feel my lungs craving more oxygen than I am getting but I only latch onto Victoria more desperately. I begin to feel light headed and I pull my lips away from hers, pressing my forehead against hers. We are both breathing deep, shuddering breaths. My right hand moves back to her cheek and then I use it to take her hand that is on my shoulder, pulling it over my heart. "I love you, Victoria....please....believe me...."

"I do." Her voice is shaky, but full of love and joy. "I believe you..." I feel my breathing stop for a moment and I nod my head against hers. Thunder roars in the distance and I feel Victoria shaking against me violently. "Max, I'm so sorry! I was avoiding you because I was getting beaten and I didn't want them to come after you. I found those letters in your room and I assumed you had written them. I was hurt and angry. I was just trying to fix everything..."

I pull back and look into her eyes. "Vic, I wouldn't let someone try and scare me away from you. My feelings aren't dependent upon what's easy." I move my legs and pull us up. "We need to go back." She nods and I kiss her forehead, pulling back from her and taking her hand. She squeezes my hand and I squeeze back. Victoria takes her knife and I lead us forward and brining us back towards Blackwell.

\----------------------

"MAX?!" I hear Chloe's voice in the distance.

"MAX?!" Kate's voice comes from the other side of us.

"Over here!" I shout back. I can hear them both running towards me. "I'm right over here!"

They both come out of the woods and Kate runs into me, hugging me tight. "You're an ass, you know that?" I rub her back and look over at Chloe. She is looking over at Victoria. Victoria is holding her knife by the handle. She is staring at the ground and she looks like shit. Her bruises are faded, but still present all over her face. She has a scar on her right cheek that runs in jagged line and is a deep red. Chloe walks over slowly and takes Victoria's hand, taking the knife out of it.

"Keep her safe..." Victoria's voice is weak and it sounds sad.

"Her?" Chloe raises an eyebrow.

Victoria points at her knife and sighs. "Her name's Betty. She was my Uncle's. It's all I have of him..." Her voice catches and she lowers her hand.

Chloe nods and pats Victoria's shoulder. "I'll keep her safe, I just don't want you to have her right now." Victoria nods and I squeeze her hand. Victoria looks over at me and I can see her lips curl into the smallest of smiles. I smile back and I can see Chloe looking over at us with a grin. Kate finally pulls away and looks over at Victoria.

"Jeez, you look like shit."

"Thanks, Kate. I would've never known." Victoria's smile grows and Kate giggle quietly.

The thunder booms again and I sigh. "We're all soaked already but we should get back before we all catch a cold."

We all start moving out of the woods and enjoy the sound and feel of the cool, constant rain. When we reach the parking lot Kate looks back at us and notices us holding hands. She grins for a moment and then shakes her head. "You know, my grandmother has this awesome soup recipe that I could make us pretty easily."

"That sounds hella nice, Kate. You up for some soup Max?"

"Heck yeah. What about you Victoria?"

"I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, three's company and four is a crowd." Her voice drops down low so that only I can, barely, hear it. "Besides, I'm not welcome..."

I look over at Kate as we reach the dorm entrance and she turns to Victoria, placing her hand on the girls shoulder and squeezing it. "I wouldn't have asked you guys if I didn't have enough for everyone. Besides, I'd enjoy the company. Especially yours Victoria."

A smile spasms across Victoria's face and she nods. "Okay. I just need to get changed."

We walk into the dorms and Chloe turns around, looking at me. "Max, can I get some clothes out of your room?"

"Sure. I moved them to their regular place." Chloe nods and I give her my key. As she heads off to my room, Kate looks over at me with her eyebrow raised. "What? She doesn't want to drive home drunk when she parties with Rachel and so I let her sleep it off in my room. She sometimes needs to change out of a pair of beer soaked jeans or something." Kate nods and goes off to her room. I help Victoria into her room and close the door behind us. Victoria shakes violently and begins to fall. She puts her arms around my neck and I catch her, helping her to stand up again. I feel how cold Victoria's skin is and I put my hand over her forehead.

_She's burning up._

"Vic, sit on the edge of the bed." She does so and I pull off her sweater and shirt at the same time, dropping them on the floor..

"M-max...?" Victoria looks over at me with a shocked look.

"You have hypothermia Vic. You need to get out of these we clothes." I press my hand to her chest and she holds onto my wrist.

"I'm fine Max." She tries her best to speak evenly to me but fails.

"Bullshit, you can't even stand up on your own right now. Lean back and don't give me sass." She nods and lays back. I remove her jeans and put them next to her shirt and sweater. I lock the door and come back, taking off my own shirt and hoodie, putting them next to Victoria's and dropping my own jeans on top of them.

"M-m-max...?" I look over at Victoria and see her blushing. "What are you-"

"Get under the covers."

"What?!" Victoria's eyes bug out and she gasps.

"Did I stutter? Get under the covers Victoria." She looks at me and slowly gets into her bed, pulling the covers up. I lay next to her and kiss her cheek, pulling her close. Our legs intertwine and my arms go around her waist while her arms go around my neck. we look into each other's eyes and I feel Victoria's shake begin to slowly lessen.

"Why are you doing this, Max?"

"Because you need to warm up and the best way to do that is with the sharing of body heat-"

"I know the science smartass." Victoria grins and closes her eyes for a second and then opens them again. "Why are you doing all of this for me."

"Because I love you. And before you say I don't, we've already covered this." I smirk at her and she nods meekly.

She rests her forehead against mine for a moment. When she pulls back, she looks into my eyes and then tilts her head a little. "Can I have a reminder...?" She speaks in almost a whisper and her lips gently caress mine as she speaks.

"I thought you'd never ask." I wrap my arms around her lower back and pull her closer. She kisses me and her hands wrap themselves in my hair. We kiss passionately and I can feel her heartbeat thrumming against my chest alongside mine. Our bodies are pressed together and they fit perfectly. I feel her breath against my skin as she sighs into the kiss. The rain beats against the window as the wind blows outside. We can hear the thunder in the distance and I feel the warmth of Victoria's body returning. I feel safe in her arms and my mind stops working as I am consumed by her affection, forming a bubble around us that lets in nothing but the sounds of the wind, rain, and thunder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a nice song that I might see Max and Victoria listening to at the end if there had been music:  
> Cigarettes After Sex - Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby  
> https://youtu.be/R2LQdh42neg?list=RDtmLqT8JbJOU
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	5. WhAt Is LoVe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I that this is the fastest growing fic I've ever had as far as view and kudos. Still, I'm thrilled that even one of you guys and gals decided to look at any of my stories. I hope you enjoy.

The warm atmosphere of love and affection, sadly had to come to an end. After a few minutes, we had to stop and breath. I begin to blink and I remember Kate's soup.

_That will definitely help warm her up._

"Alright sexy, lets get you some soup before it get's cold." I pull back a little and Victoria blushes a deep scarlet, looking at me with wide eyes.

"You think I'm sexy...?" Her voice sounds frail and vulnerable. I nod and smile at her. There is a silence that isn't comfortable, but isn't tense either. "Max, what are we?"

I look at her for a moment and think. "I don't know." My voice is only a whisper and I sigh to myself. "We're just us, I guess. We have all the time in the world to figure out what we are. But right now, we have to get back to the world of the living and go get some soup from Kate. Be social." Victoria nods and I kiss her forehead, hearing her sigh happily as I do. I stand up and look around the room, realizing that our clothes are wet and I have no way of getting back to my room while being unseen.

_The last thing I need is for someone to see me running out of Victoria's room in my bra and underwear..._

Victoria clears her throat and I look over at her. "Can we do this more later?"

I smile and nod. "Why yes, yes we can. I'm just gonna have Chloe drop us over some PJ's."

"I have my own."

"But yours probably costs more than all my possessions combined."

"Nope." Victoria sighs and gets up slowly as fish out my phone from my soaked jeans. "I'm just a poor art student." I raise an eyebrow and she sighs. "You noticed that I don't have my sports car, right?" I nod. "Well that's cause my little social suicide mission of confronting the Vortex Club got me cut off from my parent's cash. So, I have to downgrade and make due. So I have some comfy yet affordable sweats and a plain shirt that I wear when I go bed at night."

"Well, not what I was expecting, but it's nice to see you can be humble."

"I've sold everything I own except a few things that I use all the time and what I sold I replaced some of it with normal alternatives. It's not being humble, it's being realistic."

"Which is humble for what you used to be." I hear a knock on the door and I open it. Chloe looks at me and her eyes bug out. I grab the PJ's and close the door while she just stares at me. I throw them on and I go over to Victoria, helping her up. She goes over and grabs her clothes out of the closet. I help her get into them and then sigh. "Hold on."

"Hold on? WhaaAA-!" Victoria is interrupted as I sweep her off her feet and pick her up. She wraps her arms tightly around my neck and her head nuzzles into my hair. I move over to the door and open it, closing and locking it behind us. I walk over to Kate's door and knock. I look around and see Taylor and Courtney, staring at us. I flip them the bird as Chloe opens the door. She looks at me and looks down the hall, flipping them off too. They huff and storm off.

I sigh and Chloe lets me in. I sit on the couch with a thump and I look over to Kate, who is putting things together on a little camp stove that she keeps in her closet most of the time. "Hey, do you have a spare blanket, Kate?"

"Oh!" She jumps a little and turns around. "Hey Max. Yeah, they're in the closet on the top shelf." I groan and I hear the closet open and Chloe tosses a blanket at me. "Thanks Chloe." I say into the blanket that is halfway covering my face.

"No problem shortie." She chuckles as she sits down next to us and I wraps Victoria and myself up in the blanket. "Hey, I never knew you lifted."

"There's a few things you didn't know I do." I give her a wink and I can feel Victoria giggling quietly.

"Yeah. Anyways, what took you two so long?" Chloe breaks out into a shit eating grin.

_She probably expects me to blush and be shy about it._

"I had to strip Victoria and I got in bed with her." I look back as Chloe with a smile and I wink at her, flicking out my tongue. Chloe sputters a few times and tries to find her words, but she fails over and over again.

"Cat got her tongue?" Victoria asks as she begins to relax into both me and the couch, her head resting in the crook of my neck.

"Well, I wouldn't say that a pussy started it..."

"Maaaaaax!" Chloe slaps my shoulder and blushes profusely. "Staaaaaaaahp!"

Kate comes over and sighs, putting a bowl of soup on the table in front of Chloe. "Now Max, stop that." Chloe smirks and nods. "It's not Chloe's fault that she can't get laid."

"KAAATE!" Chloe throws her arms up and pouts. "Come on!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a failed Casanova and you have to tease others to get your kicks." Kate smirks and goes back to get another bowl.

"Such friends you people are." Chloe pouts and crosses her arms, looking at the wall.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, Chloe, Chloe Chloe, hey, Hey, HEY!" I poke Chloe and eventually she turns around and looks at me, still pouting.

"Whaaaat?"

"Hi." I smile at her and wave. Chloe just looks at me for a moment and then she begins giggling. Soon I giggle too and so does Kate. After a few seconds Victoria even starts to giggle. After our small fit of laughter settles down, I sigh, closing my eyes and relaxing a little. Kate comes back with a bowl of soup for me and a spoon. "Thanks Kate."

"M-max..." Victoria whispers into my ear.

"Yeah?" I glance at her from the corner of my eye.

"I can't really feed myself right now..." She whispers back. moving her arms around what little she can under the blanket, I chuckle and grin at her.

"Exactly. My evil plans for affection have worked." I take the spoon and get some soup, holding it close to Victoria. "Besides, I'm half afraid that you'll shake so hard you'd end up bathing in the soup instead of eating it." She slowly nods and eats the soup off the spoon. Chloe and Kate look over, both smiling. Chloe looks like she wants to say something but I shoot her a glare and she throws her hands up in mock surrender.

I keep helping Victoria sip away at the soup until it's almost empty. I sip the last few spoonful's and Victoria gently bumps her head against my shoulder. "hey..." I look over and see her pouting, which only makes me smile.

"I chased after you into the deep woods and I spent all of my energy trying not to freeze in the damn rain. I deserve some too."

I hear Victoria sniffle. "I know..." Her voice is broken and she sounds close to tears. I look over to Chloe and hand her the bowl and spoon. She sets them down on the table while she and Kate look on with concern. I turn to look at Victoria and I see that she has been crying again. Her eyes are red and I can feel her shaking again. I kiss her forehead and pull her closer. She rests her head next to mine and sobs. "I'm sorry...I-I'm s-s-sorry...I'm sorry-y-y..." She keeps sobbing and I run my hand through her hair.

"shh, shh. It's okay. It's okay. We're not mad. I'm not mad. It's okay. You're safe now." I begin whispering comforting things quietly to her as her body is wracked with sobs. After a few minutes, I look over and see Kate, a few tears rolling down her own face. Chloe is still trying to look tough, but I can see that she is starting to become more sad and worried by the minute. After a few sniffles from Victoria, I lean in and give her a small, brief kiss. "Vic, it's okay to not be okay. But you need to know that I'm here for you. WE are here for you." I look over at Kate pointedly with a raised eyebrow and I see her nod. I glance over to Chloe and she gives me a short nod. "All three of us."

"I don't deserve it." Victoria mumbles.

I throw the blanket off and set her down, throwing the blanket over her and grabbing her by the shoulders, staring into her eyes. "Would you shut the fuck up and listen to me!" She looks up at me with wide eyes and I can see the fire in my eyes, reflected through hers. I take a deep breath and speak to her in a more calm and collected voice. "I know that you feel like you don't deserve friends or happiness or love but that doesn't matter. You can change! You don't have to be the person you were yesterday and you don't have to try the be the exact person that you will be tomorrow. All you have to be is you! The sweet, caring, sexy, idiotic, amazing Victoria that I fell in love with. You have to live your life for you, you don't have to change who you are or be something you're not for anyone. Just be who you are and the people who matter will be there by your side..." I can feel Chloe and Kate staring at me but I ignore them as best I can. "I need you to just accept that you can't make up every wrong you've ever done, tit for tat. You have to be able to move on and live your life, Vic." I sigh and rest my forehead against hers. "No matter what happens, no matter who's in your life, just, be, yourself..." I feel myself choke up and I feel her hand on my cheek.

"Okay. I'll just, be myself..." I can feel her nod and I sigh deeply. I move back and she holds open the blanket for me. I smile and gently sit next to her, letting her lean against me and pull the blanket back around us. I hold her with one arm and look over at Kate, who is smiling and wiping away a few tears. I look over to Chloe and she gives me a nod and a thumbs up. I lean against Victoria a little and take a deep breath.

"Kate, is there more soup...?" Kate nods and gets up, grabbing the bowl from earlier and refilling it, handing it back to me.

I take it and take a spoonful, holding it above the bowl for a minute. "Want a few sips from my soup?"

"No, I'm good. But I'll just settle for you not making me move." I chuckle and kiss her head, eating away at my bowl of soup.

"Well," Chloe clears her throat and speaks up. "This has been an eventful evening..." I look over at her and nod somberly. "Kate, do you mind if I take your couch for the evening?" She looks over at Kate. "I don't wanna leave just yet but I don't really want to disturb Rachel and Max's room doesn't feel the same when it's empty."

"Sure thing. I'd honestly like the company." Kate smiles. "I'm trying something new."

"Oh?" Chloe raises an eyebrow and I can feel Victoria shift her head a little so she can look over at Kate. "What's that, Bun Bun?"

Kate blushes a little and kneels down taking Alice out of her cage. "Well, I'm going to be watching some movies."

"Kate, if this is what I think it is I think that is a journey that the leader of the abstinence club should do on her own..."

Chloe is interrupted by Kate laughing, barely able to sit down with Alice in her lap. "N-no..." Kate takes a deep breath and sighs. "Not those kind of movies. Your little fantasy will have to wait. I'm talking about horror movies." Chloe blushes and I chuckle a quietly.

_Of course Kate would figure out how to get under her skin._

"It is not a little fantasy of mine..."

"Okay, a big fantasy." Kate grins mischievously like I haven't seen before.

"It's not a fantasy!" Chloe pouts and crosses her arms.

Kate shakes her head and sighs. "It's okay, I'm just teasing you."

"Why?!" Chloe looks a little confused and almost scared.

"Cause you're hella gay, I'm hella gay, I just figured I'd have a little fun with someone like me." We all just look at Kate and she shrugs. "What?"

"I don't mean to sound rude Kate, but I think my interests are a little hardcore for you." Chloe smirks and Kate's grin returns, full bore. She smiles at me as I finish my soup and set the bowl down.

"Max, take your favorite niece." Kate comes over and places Alice in my lap. The little ball of fluff sniffs Victoria and nuzzles into the two of us.

"Awee..." Victoria gently pets Alice and Kate goes to her bed, reaching underneath and pulling out a box. She beckon for Chloe to come closer and she does. As Chloe walks over, Kate angles the box so that we can't see in it. She opens it and Chloe looks in, blushing and her eyes widening. Chloe, for the second time in a few minutes, sputters and tries to find something to say. When she can't, she eventually just gulps and walks out of the door, stopping at the doorframe, to look Kate from top to bottom for a second and then scratch her head, walking out into the hallway.

Kate scoffs and shakes her head, quickly coming over to give Alice a quick pat and then going out into the hallway after Chloe. The door closes and I elbow Victoria. "If you laydown and put your head in my lap, Alice will just sit on your chest and stare at you with the cutest look."

"Really?" Victoria smiles and I nod. I hold Alice and then place her on Victoria's chest when she's laying down flat. Alice looks up at me and then she just stares at Victoria while twitching her nose and laying really still. "That's so cute!" Victoria giggles quietly and I smile, looking down at her.

"Yes you are..." I kiss her forehead and run a hand through her hair with one hand, petting Alice with the other.

_ **Kate (Present):** _

_I figured Chloe would maybe blush and not talk any smack, but I didn't know I'd actually freak her out..._

I catch up to Chloe easily and I hold onto her wrist. "Chloe..." She turns around slowly, her eyes still wide. She blushes more and looks down at the floor, rubbing her free hand against her jeans. "I'm sorry if I scared you or freaked you out or something. Please, don't be mad..." Chloe pulls me over to Max's door and unlocks it, pulling us inside and closing the door behind us. "What are you-" I'm stopped by a kiss from Chloe. I squeak into the kiss because I don't expect it, but quickly melt into it, kissing her back and sighing when she pulls away.

"I wasn't scared, or really freaked out. I was just...surprised, yanno? You're Kate Marsh, angel of everything holy. Not, Kate Marsh, leather-clad temptress..."

"Why can't I be both...?" I place my hands on Chloe's collar bone and rest my head on her shoulder, kissing her neck. "How about," another kiss, "I can be the angel to everyone else," I nip at her skin and she squeaks in the cutes way. "But to you I can be the temptress..." I bite her neck and start giving her a hickie, feeling her squirm a little, but hold onto me tightly and whimper softly. After a minute, I pull back and look into her eyes. "What do you say?"

"Kate, are you asking me out?" Chloe's voice sounds so small and fragile, but it is full of joyous glee.

"Yes." I kiss her chest, right above her cleavage and wink up at her. She blushes even more, but smiles happily.

_I love that shade of red. And I love that smile..._

After a few moments, Chloe sighs happily and nods. "I'll go out with you."

"Great!" I chirp back excitedly. I think for a moment and then rub my chin. "Why don't we go back to my room and start movie night." Chloe looks nervous and bites her lip.

_So hot..._

"On one condition."

"Name it beautiful." Chloe grins shyly for a moment and then clears her throat.

"When it gets scary...hold me...?"  Chloe is fidgeting with her hands for a moment and I nod, taking them in my own.

"Of course. Now make sure to lock up this room when we go."

"Yes ma'am." Chloe gives me a fake salute and I cross my arms, looking at her with a shit eating grin. I take a hold of her collar and pull her down until her lips are only inches from mine.

"That's mistress to you..." I bite her lower lip and pull on it, eliciting a soft whimper from her.

"Yes m-mistress." Chloe nods. I kiss her gently and skip back to my dorm room.

_I hope she doesn't get whiplash the way I keep shifting from sweet to seductive, but hey, I guess we'll find out._

_ **Max (Present):** _

Kate comes back into the room, followed by a blushing Chloe. Kate points to the bed and Chloe nods a few too many times, crawling onto the bed and squeezing up against the wall. Kate lays next to her and sighs. "You guys wanna watch a movie?" I look down at Victoria and sigh. Her eyes flutter open at the conversation that has started and she looks up at Alice, petting her ear and whispering 'good girl'.

I smile and look back at Kate. "Nah, I think that we'll head back to her room. She's pretty tired." I look down at Victoria and smile. "Next time though." I pick Alice up and Kate walks over to her cage, opening it and whispering into my ear.

"Thank you. And if you hear anything through the walls just pretend it's the movies we're watching." After Alice is in her cage, I pull back to see Kate give me a wink. I nod and give her a hug. She pats my back and I take Victoria's hand, bringing her back over to her room. Once inside, we close the door and lock it, getting out of our PJ's and getting under the covers. They feel cool from being soaked earlier, but before I can say anything, I feel Victoria, laying on top of me, kissing my cheek. I chuckle and hold onto her, rolling so I'm over her and leaning down to kiss her. We spend the rest of the night kissing and cuddling and just being as close to each other as we can with as much contact as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm both a writer and a reader of LiS fan fics and I just wanted to say I think that it's Hella cool that some of the people leaving Kudos and Comments on my works are some of the people that I see all the time when I'm looking at other stories in the fandom. I know it's not some big deal but it's really cool to me.
> 
> Also, I've been wondering if any of you would want a playlist of songs that I listen to while I'm writing or songs that fit my Fics. Again, I am taking requests and feedback at Fandoms_R_Fun@mail.com
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	6. Spoopy Stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hella PriceMarsh.

_ **Kate:** _

As Max and Victoria close the door behind them, I take a deep breath and turn over to Chloe. "scoot closer." She moves away from the wall a little. "Closer." She moves so there's only a few inches between us and looks over at me. I grin and pull her closer, rolling her onto her back and kissing her. I rest my hands on her hips, moving them onto her stomach and pushing down. She breathes in sharply and I move my hands, slowly pushing her shirt up as I go. She sighs as my fingers move along the side of her bra, but I bite her lip and she whimpers, shivering slightly. I pull back and push the shirt over her head, stopping at her wrists and holding them above her head. I kiss her slowly and drown in the sensations. I feel the shiver of her body against mine, I feel the need for affection through Chloe's lips, and I feel the fire growing in my lungs, craving air.

I push Chloe's shirt off of her wrists and her body consumes me. Her legs wrap around one of mine and her arms wrap around me as well. One of her hands tangles itself in my hair, desperately pulling me closer. Her other hand pulls at the small of her back. I feel Chloe shake a little harder than before and I pull back, looking at her. We both suck in air and I see tears slowly making their way down her cheeks. I cup her cheek and she closes her eyes, letting out a small, muffled sob. "What's wrong, Chloe?"

"N-nothing." Her voice is a whisper, but it comes out as an airy whine.

I lay on my side and begin to caress her shoulder. "Chloe, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on..."

She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs. "I had a break up that went sour." She takes the hand away from my head and wipes at her eyes. "I... I broke up with my girlfriend but we haven't told anyone yet. She didn't want to get hit on and I didn't want to admit to Max that I wasn't worth her time..."

I sigh and rest my forehead against hers. "Chloe, I won't push anything if it's too soon. It's not healthy to jump into a relationship without the time to get over an old one. Trust me, I know this..." I squeeze her shoulder. "If you don't get over them and heal, then you will only hurt more if something happens in your next relationship. Besides, it also brings along some unhealthy context. You can still care about someone, but they're also a band aid. I don't want to be your band aid or anyone else's."

"Kate, I'm over her. It...happened a few months ago." She sighs and takes my hand from her shoulder, intertwining our fingers and squeezing my hand tight. "I would have told you if it were too soon when we were in Max's room. I just... I haven't had this kind of passion in quite some time and I feel more when we kiss than I have before. It's really special for me and I realized that this is what I've been looking for. This kind of interaction and affection."

I smile, feeling my heart swell and pound a little harder in response to her words. "Do you still want to continue? If you say yes I promise nothing too intense will happen tonight."

Chloe leans in and tilts her head, speaking as her lips rub against mine. "Yes..." She closes the small gap and kisses me passionately. I kiss her back and feel her tongue pressing against my lip. I let her tongue rub against mine as I close the space between our bodies as much as I can, pressing myself into her. We make sure to breath through our noses, causing jets of warmed air to caress our skin. I can feel my body heat up and so I pull my shirt up to my neck, pushing back slightly. Chloe helps my out of my shirt and then I am sucked back to her, stuck like Velcro. I kiss her for what feels like hours, running my hands through her hair, biting her lip, exploring her mouth with my tongue and letting her do the same.

\---------------------------------

Eventually, after making out for quite some time, I find myself straddling Chloe. My hands are on either side of her head and I and breathing heavily. I can feel her breath against my own face and I smirk a little. Some point not too long after we started, we had both got rid of our pants because of how warm we were getting. There are beads of sweat, gently dripping off my forehead and along the sides of my body. I feel her skin pressed against mine along our legs and I feel heat rising up from both of us. I lean down and kiss along her neck, gently biting at small amounts of her skin along the way. She sighs contently and I allow myself to rest more of my weight on her. I slowly take her wrists and pin them above her head again. When I pull back, I can see her smiling up at me. "Having fun, Katie?"

"Oh you know I am..." I chuckle and kiss her forehead. "Do you still want to watch a movie?"

Chloe thinks for a moment and then she nods slowly. "I think I'd be up for that. But I do think we should shower off first. I can go get a space bra and underwear from Max's room cause I still got the key. I wanna cuddle and be comfortable under the covers." I nod and give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Okay, I'll bring some towels that way you can change in Max's room when you come out. Sound good?"

"Yep." Chloe gets up and starts to dig into her pockets to find Max's key while I grab some towels. "Should we get dressed before we go out there?"

"Nah, no one's up this late." I smile at her and she smiles back. We walk to the showers and hold hands the whole way.

 

_ **Juliet:** _

I sigh and get up from my laptop, trying to think of something.

_There aren't really and juicy stories happening at Blackwell. I even did an article on what color chalk the teachers are using and that was the hot news last week... Maybe I should just walk around just to get out of the room at least. It's not like anyone is gonna be in the laundry room right now anyways..._

I quietly open up the door and peak out into the halls. I see a pair of girls walking down the hall in their bra and panties. I cover my mouth before I make any sound and close the door behind me.

_It's dark enough that I can go unseen._

I begin to sneak along the hall.

_Who could be up this late?! Walking around like that they must be thinking the same thing..._

I see them reach the showers and catch the sides of their faces as the door opens and shines light on them. I freeze and my eyes go wide, finally realizing who it is.

_Kate Marsh and Rachel's girlfriend. Holy shit..._

 

_ **Chloe:** _

I run my finger along Kate's jaw line and wink at her, smiling as I head into a shower stall. She gets into the one next to me and we wash off Kate uses her shampoo & body wash while I just stand under the water, letting it wash over me. The sensation of the water hitting my skin so much that the fine details become numbed. I take a deep breath and relax. "Heads up, cutie." I smile and look up, catching the shampoo bottle as it comes over the wall.

"It pays to be hella tall."

"Hey, I don't mind being shorter. It makes snuggles fun I get a face full of cleavage."

_Cheeky girl..._

"Ha, you're right!" I smirk to myself and begin washing up. "I think I've been cheated..." I hear the shower next to me turn off and there are footsteps behind me. I feel a hand on the small of my back.

"Don't worry baby, I'll repay you soon..." I feel her hands move away but I reach behind me, gently taking them in mine and pulling them around my waist. I hear Kate chuckle and she holds herself close to me. I melt into her gently and take a deep, shuddering breath.

"Thank you... for everything..."

"No problem, Chloe." She squeezes me and giggles. "Can you walk forward and I can quickly rinse off?"

"Sure." I step up to the wall and I can feel Kate, only a few inches from rubbing up against me. After a few moments, she walks out and I back up again, washing up.

 

_ **Kate:** _

I stare into the mirror, looking into my own eyes.

_The eyes are the window to the soul. They can tell you so much about someone. So what do mine have to say...?_

I hear Chloe humming quietly and her faucet squeaks as she turns the water off. I sigh and walk across the room, staring at the wall as I make sure my towel is on snug. I look at the wall as Chloe walks out and I can hear her rubbing the towel on her skin, drying off some. "Okay, let's get dressed." I nod and head out. I go to my room and I can hear Chloe unlocking Max's room as I close the door. I finish drying off and I go to my closet, digging out a thin tank top and some underwear. I throw them on and kick the towel into my laundry pile.

_I should do laundry at some point soon. It's starting to stack up._

I shake my head and grab my computer, walking over to my bed and sliding under the sheets. I open it up and make sure to change it to the right settings so the light isn't as harsh. I open up Netflix and look around at what movies I could watch. I sigh and open up some other app, looking over things. I eventually find "The Shinning" and open it up. I pause it during the opening credits and wait for Chloe. After a few minutes, she walks in, closing and locking the door behind her. I lower my laptop screen and look at her. She is wearing some navy blue shorts and a tank top like mine that comes only most of the way down her stomach. She is also holding a fuzzy throw blanket that is covered in cartoon pirates. "Hi..." Chloe waves at me shyly in the darkness.

I smile back at her. "Hey Chloe." I pat the space next to me on the bed. "Come lay down...?"

Chloe nods and slowly walks over, laying next to me gently. She lays on her side and looks at me. I smile and give her a quick kiss, becoming little spoon and melting into her. She wraps her arms around my chest and notices that I'm not wearing a bra. She squeaks a little and moves her hands down to my waist. I giggle and wiggle a little so we are pressed together. I nuzzle the back of my head into her upper chest and neck. I can feel her chin pressing against the top of my head and I sigh contently, adjusting the computer so that we can both see it. I hit play and we watch the screen come to life. Chloe slowly relaxes as the movie plays and I smile to myself.

\------------------------

The credits roll and I and feel Chloe's hand, squeezing mine tightly. "K-katie....?"

"Yes?" I close the computer and turn to lay on my back, setting the laptop on the night stand. I look into Chloe's eyes and see fear. "What is it baby?"

"It was scary." I hug her tight and rub her back soothingly. "I dun been spooped." I chuckle and she squeezes me.

"Don't worry, love. Your safe with me." I kiss her shoulder and I feel her shiver. "Besides, you're a tall badass punk who can scare all the monsters away."

There is a short silence and I feel Chloe stiffen. "The only monsters that are real are the ones that live inside of other people..." Her words blanket the room in a thick silence that I dare not break. Instead I just squeeze her tighter and she nuzzles into me. "Kate, I know that this is a given, but if you have anyone who is trying to come after you or you see someone going after Max and Victoria, please tell me." I nod and she relaxes a little. "I can't be around here 24/7, but I am going to be doing everything I can to help you guys out. You three mean a lot to me."

"And you mean a lot to us too, Chloe."

"Yayy...!" Her voice is soft and gentle, but it conveys a child like excitement and wonder. I chuckle and close my eyes. "Katie...?" Her voice is the same as before and it makes my heart swell.

"Yes baby?"

"Friday, do you want to go out somewhere? It doesn't have to be anything too complicated or extreme, just us hanging out and being around."

"I'd like that." I hear Chloe yawn and I smile. "Is someone tired?"

"Nu-uh." Chloe shakes her head slowly and I can feel her body relaxing while being wrapped around mine.

"Let's get some sleep, baby."

"Okay." Chloe melts into the sheets and I feel myself becoming heavier. "Promise that you'll be here when I wake up..?"

"Promise." I put all of the confidence I can into my tired voice.

"I'll...hold you...to it..." Chloe's voice fades until it is almost inaudible. I can hear her gentle snores and I am pulled down into the world of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that this clears up some of the contradictions that I "totally" meant to happen (just kidding, but still it worked out).
> 
> Also, two Small PSA's: If you see a wattpad account named "Fandoms_R_Fun", yes that is me. I'm not gonna bother with trying to put anything on their cause I really hate the interface and I just love AO3.
> 
> Finally, I am going to be taking a break to get my stuff together with my writing. My next post will be on the 31st of August.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	7. The shit list.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry about the bad upload gaps, but I will be getting my computer very fixed soon which will mean much more frequent and higher quality updates.

_ **Max:** _

I sigh, looking at Victoria's face. It is peaceful as she sleeps. Her cheeks lose the stress that usually pulls then into a frown, her jaw is relaxed, and her mouth is open ever so slightly. Her scar is fading, but it is still going to leave a mark. Her bruises are slightly better than the day before, but still bad.

_I've always know that she was on everyone's shit list, but I didn't know how bad it was. It's a bit surprising that people would still be going this far. She was the queen bee and she made enemies, but this is just kicking her while she is down..._

I gently lean in and kiss Victoria's forehead. She hisses and grabs me by the throat as her eyes open. She lets go of my throat and slowly pulls me into a hug. I squeeze gently and Victoria sighs contently. "Vic, you know that we gotta talk about what's been happening to you..."

"I know, but not now. Please." She pulls back and looks at me with a pleading look. "I need to just be with you and feel safe right now."

I take her hand and squeeze it. "I get it. I'm right here, by your side. I'm not going anywhere without you near by..."

"Well, I hope you have a strong bladder cause I'm not walking to the bathroom with you every 2 hours." She gets a shit eating grin and I playfully slap at her shoulder.

"Fucking smart ass..." I chuckle and her grin grows into a full blown smile.

She sighs and closes her eyes again, moving to place her head over my heart. I run my hand gently through her hair and close my eyes as well.

\------------------------------

After a good half hour of us laying there, Victoria move back, looking at me. I smile at her and she smiles back weakly. She takes my hand and places it over the scar on her head. "You wanna know how I got these scars...?" Her voice is low and raspy, reminding me of the Joker. I nod slowly and she takes a deep breath, yawning silently. "Well, here's what happened. I was having an amazing time after I was with you. I was happy and it was like I was high, just walking around thinking of you falling asleep. Every time I moved you just held me closer. It felt like someone loved me..." Victoria's face is in a brilliant smile and she takes my free hand and places it over her heart. I can feel the strong beating of it against her chest. I find myself smiling before her face falls and I wait for her to speak again. "It was all fine until I got to class. I found myself cornered by some of the Vortex Club. I couldn't really think of what to do so I just tried to walk past them. But, Courtney and Taylor grabbed me by the arms. The pulled me behind a corner and they all started to beat me." She moves her bra up a few inches so I can see a few dark bruises on her ribcage. She lets go of her clothing and sighs. "That's where I got a bunch of there bruises and scratches."

"What about the scar?" My voice trembles and I feel a chill run through my body.

Victoria's grip on my hands tighten slightly and she closes her eyes, looking down. "After a little while of getting beat up, I tried hitting one of them back. I got in a good swing and I gave Taylor a black eye. She came back with a switch blade. Nothing too deep because they didn't want to hurt me to the point that they couldn't get me again the next day. I went to the hospital afterwards and I got it fixed up. I skipped most of the next day because I didn't want them to get to me but I snuck in for photography so that you wouldn't get worried. I did that a couple times, but after the bandages came off they were at it again. I stopped fighting back after that..." I can feel her shaking and so I pull my hands away, wrapping them around her back and pulling her in to a tight hug. She buries her head in the crook of my neck and I caress her back as she cries.

_So help me I'm going to kill those two with my bare fucking hands..._

"When was the last time they hurt you...?" I talk through my teeth as I feel her sob into my neck.

Victoria sniffles and gasps for air. "Thursday. When I was walking around campus they beat me senseless and I didn't show up for most of the day. After I picked myself up I showered and went to see you. That's when I found the letters..."

I nod and pull back, kissing her forehead and holding her chin, making sure that she looks at me. "Victoria, you don't have to worry about them . I won't let them hurt you anymore."

"M-max... You can't guarantee that. You have a different schedule and I won't let you get hurt trying to protect someone like M-" I stop her with a kiss.

"I have friends all around Vic. And before you put yourself down, remember that I choose to be here. I love you and my choice has consequences. I'm ready for that." I stand up and walk over to the door, opening it up and looking out into the hallway. The only sign that anyone lives here are the whiteboards next to the doors. I look down and see more letters. I pick them up and angrily toss them across the room. I close the door, shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath. When I open them, I see Victoria standing in front of me. She is holding her elbow with on of her hands and she is looking at the floor.

"Where are you going, Max?"

"I'm just going to get some normal clothes on and I'm going to stop by Kate's for a couple minutes. Close the door and don't open it for anyone except me. Okay?" She look up and nods. "I love you."

She leans in and kisses me, smiling into the kiss and holding onto my cheeks. "I love you too." She sits on the couch. "Hurry back, cutie."

"Will do" I chuckle and go out into the hall, closing the door behind me. I go to my room and turn the knob, realizing that Chloe still has the key. I go over to Kate's room and knock on the door a few times. I hear a loud squeak and a thud. "Kate?" I keep my voice low and look around me, seeing that the hall is still deserted. Kate opens the door, her head sticking out of the crack.

"Max! Good morning!" She blushes and looks around herself. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. I just wanted to see if Chloe might have left my key here. Otherwise I have to call her and..." I stop as I see a hand stick out of the door, holding my keys.

"You can open the door, Katie." I see Kate blush and she opens the door, showing Chloe holding her from behind. Kate leans back into Chloe and smiles. "Well, cat's outta the bag. Max, why don't you come in for a minute."

"I will, just let me get dressed first, okay? I have to talk to you guys anyways." They nod and I make my way into my room, closing the door gently and rushing around to get dressed. I throw on my clothes and run a brush through my hair quickly. When I'm done I go back into the hall, locking up my room, and go over to Kate's. The door is open so I just walk in and close it behind me. "So, you two a thing?"

"Yep. As it turns out, this little cinnamon bun has some moves." Chloe smiles and looks over at Kate, who is laying on the couch, her head in Chloe's lap and Alice on her chest.

"What can I say? I found an attractive woman and I did my thing." Kate smiles and me and I smile back, sighing and letting the smile fade from my lips. I sit on the end of her bed and look at the floor.

"What's up Maxi-mouse?"

_Chloe was always good at reading me._

"She's getting beaten on a daily basis and the scar on her face is from a switchblade."

"Who?" Chloe's voice is missing all the warmth that had up to this point. I knew that she was getting into the 'open a can of whoop ass' mindset.

"Taylor, assisted by Courtney." I sigh and take out my phone. "I need you guys and some of our fellow nerds to keep an eye out for her. I can't follow Vic around 24/7, but if they touch her again..." I feel my nails digging into my palm and I look down, seeing my knuckles white.

"Why wait? Let's smash some face and be done with em'. They should keep a distance then." Chloe cracks her knuckles but freezes when Kate grabs her wrist.

"Let's be diplomatic guys. We do what we can peacefully and if they cross the line we can chalk it up to self defense."

"I agree with Kate, Chloe. No matter how much I want to see them hurt, we'll just get in trouble and they'll retaliate while we're busy getting thrown into jail." I sigh and stand up, looking Chloe in the eye. "We expand 'the chat' to include Vic and adapt our procedure accordingly."

Chloe raises an eyebrow. "Do you think they'll be okay with that."

"Do I look like I fucking _care_ what they think?!" Both Kate and Chloe jump, startling Alice some. Kate's eyes are wide as she walks over and puts Alice in her cage, locking it and slowly walking over. She puts her hand on my shoulder and I look at her, seeing the fear deep in her eyes. I frown and hug her tight. "Sorry guys. I'm just... I'm scared for her..." Kate holds me close as I begin to sob. After a few seconds Chloe stands and she pulls the Kate and I into a three person embrace. I cry and cry until all I can do is take deep breaths and try to keep from falling over.

As the tears dry and my breathing steadies, Chloe pats my back and kisses Kate's forehead. "I'll tell the group."

"Thank you, Chloe..." I wipe my eyes and back up, looking at the two of them as Chloe stands behind Kate and embraces her. "Yesterday afternoon I chased her down and I had to keep her from falling off the deep end right after more than a week of not seeing her. Then I learn that the people who used to be her friends are abusing her and I'm just trying to keep the person I love safe..."

"I get it, maxi pad. I really do. I'm just saying that if some of them refuse to help there isn't much I can-" Chloe is interrupted by a scream. I run to the door and throw it open. I see Taylor standing in front of Victoria's door, her knife buried into the wood. I hear footsteps behind me as I grab Taylor by the scruff of the neck and yank her away from the door. She falls over and I go in to punch her but I feel a pair of strong arms holding me back. I hear more footsteps and a loud oof sound. I look over and see Kate on the floor, holding her stomach. Courtney pulls the knife out of the door and walks towards Kate. Chloe lets go of me and moves over, punching Courtney in the face and knocking the knife out of her hand. She starts beating on Courtney and I pin Taylor's arms to the floor with my knees.  I punch her in the face over and over again, seeing bruises start to form and blood flow from her nose. "Max!" Chloe grab my fist in the air and I send a death glare her way, causing her to step back a little. I stand up and bang on Victoria's door.

"Victoria, open up!" I wait for the door to open and Victoria peaks out, her eyes widening as she sees her ex-friends on the hallway floor. "Get out here, now. You're going with Chloe and Kate. I'll meet you in the parking lot." She nods and comes out, locking her door and letting Kate lead her away. Chloe looks at me with concern and I just glare at her. "I said I'll meet you guys in the parking lot."

"Max..."

"GO!" Chloe flinches as my voice bellows through the halls. She nods and quickly makes her way to catch up with Kate. I see some of the other girls standing in the hallway and others beginning to peak their heads out of their doors. I pick up the switchblade and I grab Taylor by the collar of her shirt, slamming her into the wall. I press the knife to her throat and lean in close, still yelling. "You fuck with me or my friends again, they'll be cleaning your insides off the walls with a sponge. Do you understand me?" She just stares at me in fear. "I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" She nods as much as she can and begins shaking.

"Y-yes! I understand!" She is shaking so much that I pull the knife away so that she doesn't get cut. I pull the knife back and slam it into the wall so that my fist scrapes against the paint. I let go of her and she falls to the ground, whimpering and shaking. I storm out of the dorm, my fists clenched. Everyone either hugs the wall or retreats into their room as I pass. When I reach the doors, I throw them open and don't slow down.

\------------------------------

We drive down the road in Chloe's truck. Victoria is curled up in my lap, with her head in the crook of my neck again. I wince as Kate keeps rubbing the blood off of my fist with the antiseptic wipes. "You could have killed her you know. Even if you didn't mean to you could have done it accidentally."

"Well guess who wanted to." My voice is bitter and full of anger, and I can even feel Victoria flinch a little as the words leave my mouth.

"She's still alive right, Max? You didn't kill her...did you?" Chloe sounds scared and all I can do is shake my head, sighing. I close my eyes and rest my head against Victoria's.

"I didn't kill her. I left her shaking and whimpering on the floor infront of everyone in the dorm instead." I hear Chloe chuckle nervously and Kate just sighs. "Would you two stop treating me like I've gone insane here? Chloe, you for one are a hippocrite here. I still remember what you said in 'the chat' about what you'd do if someone harmed Kate. And that was before you two got together." I feel Victoria pull back from my neck a little.

"Congrats guys." Her voice is weak, but steady.

"Thank you Victoria." Kate responds, her hands finished with wrapping the bandage around my knuckle. "And what is this chat that you two keep talking about?"

"Save Kate Marsh" Chloe says. "That's the name of the chat. Max got a bunch of people together and we keep an eye on you where ever you go. We make sure that every time you are in a public place, you have someone watching out for you or at least close enough to respond if you need help."

I look at Kate and she looks over at me with a glare. "That's a bit invasive, Max."

"Not really." I sigh and look out the windshield. "I made sure that people were schooled on respecting your privacy and it was mostly after your...attempt." There is a moment of silence as we all remember my finding Kate in the showers, bleeding out on the floor. "We kept far enough away that you had privacy, but we made sure that no one was harassing you. It slowed down after a little bit and now it's only there for incase someone just happens to notice something wrong as they are walking by or for your closest friends."

"Oh. Well, thank you. When you put it in context it's kinda sweet of you guys." I look over to see Kate smiling and I relax. Chloe wears a similar smile as she pulls into her driveway.

"Almost everyone ended up leaving the group and they said they'd message Max personally if anything went down. That's not saying much since it was only Max, Warren, Dana, Juliet, Brooke, Rachel, and I to begin with." Chloe turns off the engine and sighs. "As of my checking it this morning it's just Me, Max, Warren, and Dana." She opens her door and closes it, locking it and going around to the passenger side. I let Victoria get out and I follow, Kate closing the door behind us and Chloe locking it. "It's gonna be a little while before anyone is home, so we can just chill. At about 4:20 we need to get to my room though. That way David won't just walk in and start lecturing."

We walk in the front door and Kate clears her throat once the door closes. We look at her and she has her hands on her hips. "And why would he be lecturing you Chloe?"

"Babe, you do realize I knocked the shit out of Courtney, right?"

"Chloe, language!" We all freeze as Joyce walks out from the dining room. "Well, howdy Max, Kate, Victoria. What are y'all up to on this fine Saturday morning?" Her arms are crossed and she is tapping her foot.

_Well, we are in for one hell of an angry lecture..._

\-------------------------

Against my expectations, we explained what happened and Joyce just sighed, leading us into the living room. "Max, you're like a daughter to me and I would like to think that I know you pretty well. Now what on earth would make you go flying off the handle like that?" I am sitting on the couch with Victoria next to me. She is clinging to my arm for dear life. I look past her and see Kate and Chloe sitting close to each other, looking at Joyce. I look at Victoria and sigh.

"Well, Victoria and I are...getting along." I look back at Joyce and she raises her eyebrow, obviously wanting me to elaborate. "We're together." She nods and takes a sip from her coffee, setting her cup down on the table.

"Go on."

"Well, Victoria has been getting threatening notes and letters. She didn't talk to me for about a week and a half and she was getting beaten up by Taylor and Courtney. They even attacked her with a knife. I assume it's the same one they had today."

"Is that so Victoria?" I can feel hear nod against my arm. "Kate? Chloe?" I look over and they nod too. "Well, if I'm being honest, it scares me that such things are going on at Blackwell. I am glad that you two stood up for those you're close to, but I assume you understand that you'll get in some kind of trouble for this."

"I know." I sigh and Victoria squeezes my arm. "But honestly it was the reaction that anyone would have."

"It's not the reaction that anyone would have..." Chloe cuts in.

"William would have done it." Joyce says before Chloe can continue. Chloe looks over at her mom with a nod. "You're father was easy going and at times he could be an absolute goof, but if I was in danger, or you, or Max, or Max's parents, he would have stepped up and done what he had to."

Chloe nods some more and sighs. "I wonder what dad would have to say about all this."

"Well, he could surprise all of us, but I think that he would have told you guys that it was okay and he would have given you some cola and he would've cracked jokes till the cows came home." Joyce ended her sentence with a smile, but her voice waivered a little and she had to blink a few tears away. "Well, speaking of which, I go some more root beer and I even grabbed some coke yesterday. Why don't we turn on the TV and relax a little." We all nod and get up, going to get our soft drink of choice. Victoria lets go of me to get her drink, but once we're on the couch she leans into me. I wrap an arm around her and feel the fabric of her sweater.

"Is this the same one from yesterday?"

"No, I got a few pairs of them." I nod and she takes a sip of her root beer. Chloe and Kate are nuzzled into each other, sharing a coke with two straws in it.

"So daughter of mine, do you have anything that you might want to let your dear old mother know?" Kate chuckles as Joyce points to the straws in the bottle.

"Uhhmmm. Well, you see mom, I might have started going out with Kate."

"I see. Well, I'm glad to see that you have another good influence in your life." As Joyce sips at her tea Kate bursts out laughing, holding onto her stomach.

"Oh, please...haha...please don't...ha..d-don't make me laugh...my gut still hurts...haha." Joyce raises an eyebrow and sips at her coffee. Kate finally calms down and wipes at her eyes. "I mean, thank you. I suppose that I am a good influence, but I'm not just the shy church girl. I have a wild side."

"Oh, we all do." Joyce winks at her and Chloe blushes slightly.

"Whatever it is mom, I don't want to hear it."

"Oh don't worry Chloe, you're too young to hear it anyways." All of us, even Chloe, had a good chuckle and turned out attention to the movie on the TV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that happened. Any opinions on Alpha Max? I think that it's fun to write and who knows, it might come up again in the future.
> 
> Also, I cannot wait to work on my stories and get them out to you more often. I feel bad for not posting more often and having my own computer back will solve this problem, Finally!
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	8. You're actions have consiquences

_ **Chloe (Present):** _

"Hey Maximum ride, why don't you come help me clean up my room a little bit. It looks like a bit of a pig pen up there."

She groans and nods. "Okay Chloe." She kisses Vic on the head and gets up, walking over to me. "been a while since you mentioned those books."

"Hey, what can I say, I always like em'. Anyways, let's get to cleaning dude."

_Besides, I need to give you some news._

We walk upstairs and go into my room. I close the door behind Max and she looks around my room. "Chloe, this is cleaner than when we were kids. What are you talking about?"

"I just needed to get you away from the other so we could talk."

"No." Max crosses her arms and leans against the door.

"What? I didn't even say anything yet!"

"Chloe, I've known you since before I could write my own name. I know that whatever this is, it's bound to be stupid, dangerous, or a combination of the two."

"Would you relax, Maximillion. It's about _the chat_." She stands up straight and looks at me with wide eyes.

"What is it? Did you tell them? Are they on board with it?!" Max grabs onto my shoulders and I can feel her nails dig in a little.

"Down girl. They're going along with it. Warren added Broke and I recalled Rachel and Juliet. I even called in Steph. We're all keeping our eyes peeled and your nerd in shining armor even offered to sit with her cause they share about half of their classes. Between us all, I don't think there's any time of the day that they could get Victoria alone besides using the bathroom in the middle of class or something."

"Good...good." Max relaxes and pulls me into a hug. "Chloe, no homo but I fucking love you."

"I believe you mean all the homo. And trust me, I'm into orgies as much as the next girl, that next girl being Katie, but I don't think Vic would be on board with that."

Max smacks my shoulder and giggles. "You're an ass, you know that? I meant as a friend."

"I know, I know, keep your shirt on. Literally and metaphorically." I chuckle and walk over to my bed. "But seriously, we should pick up some of these clothes and set up the air mattress but after that's done we can go downstairs."

"Okay," Max claps her hands and smiles wide. "let's get to it."

 

_ **Victoria (Sunday morning):** _

I stretch and yawn, opening the closet and start changing my clothes. After a couple minutes, I hear Max yelling through the walls. "Do I look like I fucking _care_ what they think?!" I jump up and hold onto my elbow. I take a deep breath and look over at my desk. I grab my walled and phone, slipping them into my pocket.

_If she's yelling like that something bad might be going down. We might have to leave quickly._

I throw on some socks and shoes, waiting for Max to return. I hear a knock on the door and reach for the door knob, stopping with my hand in halfway there.

_"...Close the door and don't open it for anyone except me. Okay?..."_

I take a deep breath and put on the chain lock before opening the door. I peak out of the crack to see Taylor standing there with her knife, a wicked grin on my face. I scream and close the door. I back peddle as fast as possible right as the knife punches through it. I fall over and I hear movement out in the hallway. There are sounds of people moving around and thuds that I assume are people falling over. After a minute, I hear Chloe call out to Max. There is a moment silence and then a fist is banging on my door. "Victoria, open up!" I go to the door and unlock it, opening it up and peaking out. I see Taylor and Courtney on the floor, covered in blood. I can feel my eyes widen and I feel a chill run down my spine.

_This had to have been Chloe's doing, but how did she beat up both of them...?_

"Get out here, now. You're going with Chloe and Kate. I'll meet you in the parking lot." I nod, following Max's command and locking my door on the way out. I follow Kate down the hall and I hear Max talking to Chloe. "I said I'll meet you guys in the parking lot."

"Max..." It sounds like Chloe is trying to be diplomatic, but it also sounds like she is a little scared about something.

"GO!" Max's voice booms through the hallway and I feel both Kate and myself jump a little as we make our way around the corner. When we're out of sight I tug on Kate's arm, stopping her. She looks like she is going to say something but I press my finger to my lips. Chloe makes her way around the corner and we get her to stop and not talk as well. I stand frozen in place, listening to the pure venom and acidic hatred in Max's voice. "You fuck with me or my friends again, they'll be cleaning your insides off the walls with a sponge. Do you understand me?"

_Max never talks like that. I know that she is trying to defend me and keep me safe from them, but this is scaring me and from the looks of it Kate and even Chloe are pretty unnerved._

"I said DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

"Y-yes! I understand!" We hear the sound of something cracking, followed by a loud thud. I look over at the other two, who are looking at each other with deep concern. We hear footsteps pounding down the hall and we book it to the stairwell. As we rush to the bottom of the stairs, opening the door to the outside, I hear the doors behind us fly open and Max's footsteps echoing through the halls. As we make our way outside, we all sprint as fast as we can towards the parking lot, hearing the door to the dorms fly open behind us as we round the corner of the building.

 

_ **Max (Present):** _

We all sit there, looking at David. We have barely touched our pot roast that Joyce cooked, instead talking about what happened. David finally clears his throat and sighs. "You know, I always figured that you and Kate were a thing."

Kate blushes some and clears her throat. "Really?"

"Honestly honey, I always thought that myself." Joyce states, taking her first bite of her food while looking at Kate. We all relax slightly and begin our eating.

"Why does everyone think that Kate and I are or were a thing?" I sigh. "No offense Kate, I just don't see it. You're just my friend. Me dating you would be like me dating Chloe."

"Ouch Max, you're friend-zoning me before I even get a chance."

"Chloe! You're at the table sitting next to your girlfriend and you're complaining that your surrogate sister isn't into you?! Are you cereal !?"

"Max, Max, calm down." She holds her hands up in mock surrender. "I meant nothing by it."

"I know, I know." I take a deep breath and sigh, poking at a piece of meat. "Long day..."

Everyone nods and I start digging in. After a few minutes, David clears his throat. "You know, I saw the aftermath of this morning. You really put a lot of fear into them, Max. Both the two people who attacked Victoria and your fellow dorm-mates."

"Oh?"

_Shoot, I hope I didn't mess up too much._

"Yeah. Some of the girls wouldn't come out of their rooms until I assured them that you were gone." David sighed.

"He's right. I got about a hundred messages from the different people wondering what was going on. Rachel, Dana, and Juliet alone were losing their minds cause they thought you'd killed Taylor and they were barricading themselves into their closets." I look over to Chloe and see that she is dead serious.

David finished his food and took a sip of his beer. "After what happened, you'll have to talk to principle wells. I'll save you the suspense though. You're gonna be suspended for a week, getting a disciplinary note on your transcript, you'll have to go to anger management class, and apologize. I'll talk with Wells about the last part but you knew full well what would happen by going that far."

"Yeah. I was prepared for this." I chuckle and shake my head. "Normally I'd make a joke about 'if you find my body' but if they're as scared as you say I don't think I have to worry too much."

"Well, you'll be off of school property anyways. Standard procedure for Blackwell." David notices that my eyes and bugging out and he chuckles. "Don't worry, you'll be staying here. Even if I tried to say no, Joyce would say yes and Chloe would sneak you in regardless. Just, don't come to school until I let you know that it's okay. Between your friends and I, we'll make sure nothing happens to Victoria."

I smile at him. "Thanks David."

"Please, it's my job. I'm just sorry that I've been lacking so much."

Chloe sighs and shakes her head. "David, it's just you and Skip as security for the whole campus. You can't be everywhere."

"I know. But I still feel bad."

"Fair enough." Chloe finishes her food and finishes the coke.

"Hey!" Kate glares at Chloe with a smile on her lips.

"sorry, I could grab you another one if you wanted."

"Nah, it's fine. I'll just have to punish you later." Kate smacks Chloe's arms.

Chloe scoffs and shakes her head. "Yeah, whatever." She gets up and goes to the stairs quickly, but not before I see that she is breaking out into a massive blush. "Come up when you guys finish eating."

\--------------------------------

We all finish off our food and head upstairs, saying good night to Joyce and David as they lay on the couch, watching an old movie. Kate had already left a few minutes earlier and I walk upstairs with Victoria holding onto me. We stop outside the door and I am about to open it when Victoria grabs my wrist. She takes my hand and we intertwine our fingers. "What's on your mind, Vic?"

"Are you sure that I'm not imposing here? I could go and sleep in the dorms if they don't want me here..."

I kiss her forehead and pull her into a hug. "It's fine, baby. They're okay with you now. If anything, everybody is a little on edge over how aggressive I was this morning." I sigh and pull back, resting my forehead on hers. "By the way, how do you feel about it all? Are you...are you scared of me...?" I close my eyes as she rubs the back of my hand with her thumb.

"Honestly, I was pretty freaked out earlier. I've never seen you like that. It's like... It was like you were going to kill them..."

"I wanted them to hurt. I wanted them to feel every ounce of pain that you felt and more. I didn't want to stop hurting them. After I'd cooled off I felt like I'd done something horrible and now I feel like I just took them out of the equation for a little bit, but that some time soon they'll come back looking for blood..." I feel my voice waiver and a few tears move down my cheeks.

"Oh, Max." I feel Victoria's hands on my cheeks and she gives me a peck on the lips. "You did what you felt that you had to. No one can wrong you for that. Not only that, but you've been looking after and caring for me this whole time. I know that you're in trouble and that this isn't going to be easy. But, with you by my side, it's more than worth it."

I smile and lean in, kissing her more. When I pull away, I open the door and walk into the room, causing Chloe to tap Kate's shoulder. Kate is straddling Chloe, holding onto her hair and giving her hickies. Kate pulls away and sees us winking and sitting next to Chloe. "So," Kate starts. "You guys wanna go right to bed or you wanna talk for a little while?"

"I'm pretty tired." Victoria looks over at the air mattress and sighs. "Imma just go to bed right now. You guys can stay up if you want."

"If you guys are gonna hit the sack we'll make sure to not make too much noise." Kate smiles at us as she finishes her sentence, and I can see that Chloe is turning red as a tomato.

"You two play nice."

"You hear that Kate? Max said play nice."

"I know Chloe, but she never said anything about playing clean." She chuckles and yawns laying down. "But she doesn't have to. I'm hella tired." Chloe chuckles and we all get ready for bed, sleeping in varying amounts of clothing. "Well come on Chloe, I'm not going to cuddle myself here." Kate says impatiently as Chloe throws on a pajama shirt. I hear the two of them sigh happily and I do the same as Victoria leans into me, the fabric of her undergarments tickling my skin. "Goodnight everyone."

"Night guys." Victoria replies. 

"Hella sweet dreams everyone."

"Yeah, what she said." I throw out, letting sleep take me.

\------------------------------

As the sun crests the horizon, I sigh and sift my weight a little.

_This is the first time I've ever just plopped down on someone's roof and watched the sunrise. I like it._

I hear the window behind my open and I sigh. I hear someone shuffle out onto the roof with me and close the window behind us. I look over and see Chloe sitting down beside me, handing me a cup of coffee in a Styrofoam cup. I take it and smell the nice dark roast with a little creamer and milk. "Just like a always liked it."

"Hey, I remember all about you man! I know your favorite color, your favorite animal, favorite instrument, biggest fears, darkest secrets." She take a sip and then smirks at me. "Don't you dare cross me Caulfield, I'll bury you."

I chuckle and sigh, leaning my head against her shoulder. "Hey, I'm sorry about being so aggressive yesterday. I was just doing what I felt I had to. I know that it freaked you guys out and I'm sorry it had to go down like that."

"I get it. As much as I wanted to beat their asses I didn't want it to go down like that either." We sit in silence, sipping away at our drinks and watching the beautiful sight in front of us. "You know Max, I never thought I'd say this, but Vic's alright. I'm glad that she has someone like you there for her."

"Thank you, Chloe." I take a sip of my coffee and think for a moment. "What do you mean by 'someone like me' being there for her?"

"You're so...you! I mean, come on Max, everyone can see that you care for the girl. Even if they didn't see the private aspect of it I think that half of Arcadia Bay will know the lengths you went to yesterday."

"Do you think that's a bad thing?"

"No" Chloe shakes her head and turns to face me. "If you care about someone-" We hear a knock on the window and we look back to Chloe's room. I see Kate blowing her a kiss and smiling. Chloe chuckles and sighs happily as Kate walks off. "If you love someone, you'd do anything for them. No matter what happens, you just have to stand up and keep them safe sometimes..." Her voice fades away and she just sits there, staring at the window and smiling.

"Alright lovebird, let's get back inside. This day isn't going to enjoy itself!" I start moving back to the window and Chloe chuckles.

"Right behind you, Maxi pad." I get down onto Chloe's desk and move inside, Chloe right behind me. "Let's get some food, I'm starving." As she begins walking to the door, we hear a car driving down the street. Suddenly, several rocks fly through the window. One of them shatters glass and another one hits me in the side, causing me to yelp in pain. I can hear the screeching of tires and I can smell burning of rubber as Victoria jumps up, running to the window, freezing in place.

"Vic," I place my hand on her shoulder and squeeze gently. "What's wrong?"

"M-max..." She swallows and looks over at me, her eyes wide. "That was Taylor and Courtney..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dun Dun DUN! Hope you enjoyed the read.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	9. The fallout

_ **Victoria:** _

I wake up without Max's warmth near me. I feel myself panic inside, but then I look around to see everyone is gone. I am about to go looking for them when Max and Chloe begin climbing in through the window. I sigh in relief and relax a little. Suddenly, as Chloe is inside and they are walking towards the door, rocks start flying through the window. I sit up, hearing a pained yelp and cover my face until I hear the squealing of tires. I leap up and reach the window just in time to see Taylor's car doing a U-turn and driving off, Courtney in the passenger seat. They drive off and I freeze up.

_They came after us. They actually came after us. They're after us, they're after us, they're after us..._

I feel a hand on my shoulder and Max's voice breaks through into my mind. "Vic," Her hand lands on my shoulder and squeezes it. "What's wrong?"

"M-max..." I swallow audibly and look over to her. "That was Taylor and Courtney..."

"Are you sure it was them?" Chloe comes to stand beside us.

"I'm definitely sure. I saw their faces and it was Taylor's car." Chloe growls and moves to the door, throwing it open and walking out, slamming it behind her. I can hear her rushing down stairs and calling for David.

I look at Max and see that she is leaning against Chloe's desk. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She looks at me and smiles. "Nothing bad. I just got hit by one of the rocks. I'll be fine, Vic."

"Max, at least sit down."

"No," She shakes her head and starts moving towards the door. "We have to keep Chloe from going off the rails." I sigh and nod, following her.

_If they hurt Max, I wouldn't mind getting a hold of them and doing what she did..._

 

_ **Max:** _

I grit my teeth and go down the stairs, relying on the railing.

_Come on, Chloe. Let's not get out of control here, just talk with David. Don't do anything stupid..._

As I reach the living room, I hear shouting from the garage. "Stay calm!? They threw rocks through my window and hit Max, David! I have a right to not be calm right now!"

Joyce looks up at me with a concerned look and I sigh. "We're fine. Taylor and Courtney threw rocks through the window and then sped off."

"I wondered who the asshole was who was squealing their tires." Joyce gets up and goes over to the garage door, opening it up and looking inside. "Let's take this talk into the living room." She sits down again as Chloe and David walk into the living room and stand near the garage door.

"Well," David breaks the mini silence. "I'm going to call up officer Berry to let him know what happened and I am going to inform principle Wells. In light of this blatant retaliation, I think that things might have changed a little."

"How so?" Kate comes in from outside, putting her hair into a quick bun.

We all just look at her for a moment and it is Chloe who speaks first. "First of all, where the hell were you this whole time, second of all, Taylor and Courtney came after us and broke the law, that brings this whole incident to the next level."

Kate just smiles and shakes her head. Chloe is about to say something when Kate pulls out her phone, playing a video. I can hear some rustling and then the squealing of tires. "Well it's a good thing that you have an eye witness with video evidence." I look around and see David nodding with approval. Chloe has a shit eating grin and even Victoria has a smirk on her face. "Oh by the way," Kate digs into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out something and tossing it to Chloe. "hide your cigarettes better."

"Little thief!" Chloe chuckles and puts the carton into her pocket, walking into the kitchen. "Well, does anyone want food? I'm cooking."

Joyce scoffs and stands up. "Daughter of mine, if you are cooking either someone has replaced you or I've died and gone to heaven. Or hell, depending on what you cook." We all get a small laugh out of that and Chloe peaks her head around the corner.

"Hey, can't a girl be happy to be alive?"

Joyce's face drops and she walks over to Chloe. "Okay, now you're scaring me. What's going on? Are you sick? What's going on?" Joyce puts the back of her hand on Chloe's forehead and the girl grunts, pushing her hand away.

"Mother, stop!" She sighs and looks around, her eyes stopping on Kate for a split second. "I'm just happy, okay?" She smiles weakly and hugs Joyce. "I'm finally happy..." Joyce stiffens at the hug, surprised. After the shock leaves her face, she closes her eyes and pulls her daughter closer.

"Oh God, Chloe... You have no idea how long I've been waiting for that..." Her voice waivers and Chloe begins rubbing her mom's back. I put my hand over my heart and sigh happily.

_I never thought I'd see the day when Chloe and her mother got along like this again..._

Behind me, I hear David clear his throat. We all turn to look at him except for Chloe and Joyce. "How about we head into the garage. I can take notes on what happened and we can figure out the game plan." I nod and follow him, Kate and Victoria close behind me.

As we enter the garage and David closes the door, he sighs and smiles, heading over to the cabinet. I lean against Victoria and we rest against the wall. Kate leans against the tool cabinet, looking around, seeing the various tools. She sees a gun cabinet in the corner with a target next to it that has several holes in the bull's-eye. "Nice shot." Kate mumbles, drawing our attention.

"Thank you. I shot that one after I got out of the army. I had a hand injury and I was trying to get back to how I used to shoot. That was the best one I shot for the whole month." A grin appears on the man's face as he reminisces about the experience. "Do you shoot?"

Kate nods sighing. "My father always wanted a son. When I was 13 he taught me to shoot. by 15 I was hunting and what I shot was what we ended up eating."

"Really? I never knew that." I nod, trying to imagine a young Kate with a rifle, walking through the woods.

_Nah, I can't do it._

"Well, we worked for some small town churches in Oregon and they didn't have enough money to pay us a lot. With the big family, we just had to make due." She looks over at the target and sighs. "I honestly miss hunting. I haven't even shot a rifle in about a year." She chuckles and looks back at us. "I mess with my father every know and again and tell him that if I don't go hunting one of these days I'll start doing it in my sleep."

"Well, if you wanted I could take you out to the range with Chloe and officer Berry one of these upcoming weekends. We don't get out as much as we used to, but we try to see who can shoot the best. Loser buys dinner." He smirks. "Of course I wouldn't make you take part in that bet. Wouldn't want you to have to fork over so much cash."

"Is that a challenge, Mr. Madsen?"

"Well maybe it is, maybe it isn't. We'll just have to see won't we." Slowly the smiles fades from David's face and he sighs. "I hate to kill the mood but we have to do this sometime. I need the three of you to tell me what happened. Both yesterday and today. Also, I need you to send me a copy of that video." Kate nods and takes a deep breath.

I clear my throat and sigh. "Well, I guess I'll go first unless there are any objections." I look around and they all shake their heads. "Well, it started when I went to get waffles..."

\----------------------------

I retell the story from the beginning, skipping over the intimate moments and telling as little as I can about how broken Victoria was. The entire time I can feel her hand locked around mine like a vice. After I finish my version of the story, Victoria covers everything I know as quickly as possible, also avoiding the most private moments.

"In the end, I guess they were trying to push me over the edge from the beginning. Max just happened to come along and push them back..." I squeeze her hand and wipe away a tear that had spilled from her eye and flows down her cheek.

David sighs and shakes his head. "Fucked up shit..." He makes another small note on his paper and scratches at the back of his neck. "Okay Kate, is there anything that you have to add?"

"Well, I did overhear Taylor talking about Max..." I look over at Kate and she looks visible torn. We all look at her expectedly and she sighs, tapping away at her phone. Soon, the distant sound of water comes through the speaker.

\---------------------------

"...ou know, that stupid dyke keeps trying to get to Victoria." Taylor's voice whines from the phone. "I think she's going to be a pain in the ass."

"Well what are we supposed to do Tay, kill her or something?!" There is an uneasy pause and then there is a sound of something hitting porcelain. "Please tell me you're fucking joking..." Another pause and then a gasp and a muffled scream. "I am not going to kill someone, Taylor!" Courtney sounds like she is gritting her teeth as she hisses at her friend.

There is a sound of an impact and then some gagging. "Listen here you uppity bitch, Caulfield is going to die before Christmas or I'll make sure that everyone you have ever loved gets mailed a piece of your body."

There is a gasp for air. "T-taylor! Can we just mess with them first? Yanno, throw a rock through their window or something?" There is another exaggerated breath. "If we're going bump them off we should mess with their heads first, r-right...?"

The sound of water stops and then there is a sigh. "I guess so." There is the sound of a zipper and then the voice begins to fade. "But if you don't go through with you, you'll take her place..." A door closes and the recording ends.

 

_ **Kate:** _

I close the recording and look over at Max. Victoria has her in a protective embrace and Max's eyes are wide, fear and anger swirling in them. "Kate..." Her voice is wavering, yet her fists are clenched. "Why didn't you share this with me before...?" When she closes her mouth, I can hear her teeth grinding together.

"Because I didn't want you to know about this. I heard this Friday morning, before the fight. I was going to go to David with this stuff but then the fight broke out and I didn't have a chance to talk to him in private. You already knew what they did to Victoria and I knew you wouldn't let your guard down around them. I figured that by the time you saw them again I'd already have brought this up with the authorities..."

Max closes her eyes and shrinks into Victoria. "I know that you mean well Kate, but this is big enough that you should have told me."

"Max, I didn't want to risk you doing something irrational."

"Irrational? They openly discussed **killing** me! What part of **that** is 'rational'?!!" She shouts at me and the door opens.

"Who's threatening Max?" Her face is cold and indifferent. She looks at me and raises an eyebrow when I don't say anything.

"Taylor and Courtney." I look over at Victoria and she squeezes Max gently. "Kate learned about it Friday morning before the fight but she didn't know when to approach us about it."

"When to approach us?!" Chloe throws her arms up. "That's something that's pretty damn urgent!" she looks over at me, waiting for a response.

"Chloe, I was panicking. Besides, we don't go back to Blackwell until tomorrow. I figured that we wouldn't bump into them before then."

"Well we kinda did." Chloe looks up at the ceiling. "FUCK!" When she looks back down, her face looks sad and old. She hugs me and pats my back. "Lesson learned I guess..." I lean into her and close my eyes, burrowing into her shoulder. We stay like that for a few moments until David clears his throat.

"I think that I have everything I need. Just make sure to send me the video clip and the audio recording." He puts his notebook back on the counter.

Chloe sighs and pulls back form the hug, kissing my forehead. "Well, dinner's ready if you want any." Everyone else files out of the room except for Chloe, who looks over at David as he's walking out. "I'll be there in a minute. I wanna have a moment alone with Kate." He nods and smiles, closing the door behind him. When we hear his footsteps move away, Chloe looks down at me.

"W-what is it...?" I feel my stomach start to tie itself in knots as she just looks at me.

"You know, I've been thinking." She sighs for a moment. "It's about us..."

_Oh God, please don't let this be what I think it is..._

"Kate, you mean so much to me, and I'm so very happy that we're a thing. But, I just think that we should lie low right now." I nod and she kisses me lovingly. "I love yo-"

_**BANG BANG BANG** _

There is a sharp pain in my shoulder and Chloe falls on top of me with a thud. I hear the sound of rushing footsteps and the door flies open. I hear a scream followed by Joyce's shriek. "CHLOE!" I shake the girl on top of me, but she doesn't move. I feel a wetness on my chest and Chloe is lifted off of me to reviel blood all over us. I watch as her arms fall limply to the floor as Joyce cradles her daughter. Out of the corner of my eye I see Max, tears in her eyes, raise her right hand...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger. Next chapter will be in a few days.
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	10. Run, for the hills...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna wait another day to post but I've gotten sick and I wanted to do something that would cheer me up and posting updates does that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy :)

_ **Max:** _

_NO!_

I watch as Joyce rolls Chloe off of Kate, covered in blood and arms limp. I look over at Kate as she watches me lift my arm. Slowly, everything goes in reverse. I walk backwards like I have many times before, retracing my footsteps. I rewind until I know that they are safe. When I let time resume, David is still mid sentence. "...bring Kate with me this weeken- MAX?" He looks over at me but I am already throwing open the door.

"...we should lie low right now." Chloe is talking to Kate as I plow into them. "Max what the FU-!!"

_**BANG BANG BANG** _

I hear Victoria scream and I roll off of the two, pushing them towards the door. They run into the living room and hide behind the couch. I run over to the gun cabinet and smash the glass, taking out a pistol and a spare magazine.

\------------------------------

I hold them to my chest and rewind until the glass reforms. I run out and hand David the gun and spare magazine as he runs to the front door. I follow behind him and watch as he gets shot in the back.

\-----------------------------

I rewind until David doesn't have the gun and run over to him. He is clearly confused but run to the door anyways. "WATCH YOUR RIGHT FLANK!" I shout at him as the throws the door open. He spins and fires several rounds, ducking back inside. He pops his head out to fire a few more shots and I can hear tires squealing off in the distance. David closes the door and looks around.

"Is everyone okay?!"

"We're fine!" Chloe shouts from the couch.

"We're good, hon." Joyce says from next to the fireplace.

David looks at me with a look of fearful wonder, walking into the dining room, dropping out the magazines onto the table and making sure the handgun is empty. "Wh....Is.....Wha..." David rubs his face a few times and takes a deep breath. "H-how..."

I look outside to see that it is raining. "I'll explain everything, but we need to step outside. Just into the backyard." I walk over to the coffee table, turning to TV on and turning up the volume. I open the glass door and step outside, letting the rain pour over me. The others walk out slowly, looking around. "Everyone hold onto my. My hand, arm, shoulder, just place your hand on me. slowly, Victoria comes stands behind me and wraps her arms around me. Kate walks over and holds onto my hand left hand. David grabs my right hand and Joyce holds onto my right shoulder. "You coming, Chloe?"

She sighs and nods. "Not like I'll get many other chances to see other people's reactions."

When she grabs my left shoulder, I sigh. "Alright folks, hold on tight no matter what." I feel Victoria squeeze me tighter and I smile. I see a bird flying towards us and, as it is flying in front of us, I stop time. I hear a lot of gasping and their grips all tighten except for Chloe. Victoria shivers and I look over at Kate to see her eyes bugged out, looking around with child like wonder. I glance at the rain, frozen in place and making the whole sky look like it's covering the earth with small crystal drops. The raven is floating in the air, stiff and unmoving.

Kate clears her throat. "Max, this is... this is amazing."

I smirk and shake my head. "You ain't seen nothin' yet..." I take a deep breath and concentrate on time itself, pushing on it. I hear the small chittering of voices and things begin to slowly move in reverse. The bird moves backwards while flapping forwards and the rain begins to float into the sky. After a little bit I stop, wincing. "Alright, Imma let things resume normally. everyone stand here for a few seconds and then let's just walk inside. Okay...?" I feel warmth moving down my face and they nod.

Joyce gasp. "Max honey, Y-" I look over at her and she's frozen.

"Don't worry, I'll get that." Chloe grabs her mother's hand while holding onto me.

"-ou're bleeding." She looks over at her daughter. "Chloe?"

"Original positions, fast." I grunt and Chloe acts fast, pressing her mothers hand into my shoulder and then letting go of her mother. I let time resume and the bird caws, flying past. We all stand in place for a few seconds and then I pull Victoria's hands away, walking inside as fast as I can. Everyone follows behind me and I lean against the couch, sliding down it.

 

_ **Victoria:** _

_Holy shit, my girlfriend is...something? I don't know what she is. Is she like doctor who or something? Even the doctor needed a tardis though..._

As Max sits on the floor, blood coming from her nose, I take some napkins from the table and kneel next to her and them in her hand. "Thank you." She wipes the blood off her face and sighs.

"It happened again didn't it?" Everyone looks at Chloe as she rests her chin on Kate's head.

"What, you mean you kicked the bucket again? Yeah, it happened again Chloe..." Max sighs and leans her head back. "I didn't bother seeing who it was, but I do know that someone was after one of us and knowing that Taylor wants me dead, we can guess it was her." I nod bitterly and squeeze her shoulder. "Whenever I do this stuff, it takes a lot out of me and I've nearly died the last few times I did this. I promised myself I wouldn't do it anymore in the interest of living, but I couldn't let Chloe get gunned down." She takes a deep breath, coughing into the napkins, pulling it back to show blood. "Anyways, we need to get somewhere safe that we can stay for the week. Somewhere I can rest and maybe have someone check on me to see how I'm doing without too many questions."

I hear a sigh behind me. "Max," I turn to see Kate looking up at the ceiling. "I know where we can go..."

 

_ **Max:** _

I take a deep breath as I intertwine my fingers with Victoria. She kisses the back of my hand and runs her thumb along my knuckles. I smile and close my eyes, focusing on my breathing. "Don't worry Max. We're almost there..." Kate's voice is calm and caring, even with such a casual phrase.

"It was really nice of them to drive the truck and let us take the car." Victoria pipes up from beside me. "It's nice to have the extra seat."

"Oh shush, Vic. You know you liked sitting in my lap." I smirk with my eyes still closed.

"No!...W-well, maybe...I mean I wish I wasn't under the impression that you'd just killed someone but still, I didn't mind the contact..." The insecurity in her voice makes me look at her. I see that she is blushing, shivering a little and looking at the floor. I squeeze her hand and she looks at me. I kiss the back of her hand and look into her eyes.

"Babe, I'm sorry about that. I should have explained everything was okay before we left Blackwell."

"Yeah. 'get in the damn truck and don't ask me anything' was kind of a scary thing to say..." Chloe calls back at us, turning a corner and pulling into a driveway. "This it, Katie?"

"Yeah, this is it. I already texted my dad so he should be waiting at the door. Let's drive up closer." Chloe nods and Kate yawns. "This has been a long morning."

"Yep. How did you guys like breakfast by the way?" Chloe parks near the front door and we see David park the truck to our right.

"It was great Chloe." Victoria talks as she gets unbuckled and gets out of the car.

"It really was dude. That was some hella crispy bacon." I get out and walk around to Victoria.

"As it should be!" Chloe calls to us as she puts the keys on the dash and closes the door, wiping her hands on her jeans and walking over to Kate.

Kate walks over to the door and knocks 3 times. "Dad. It's me, Kate." The door opens and a man looks around outside.

"Alright, come in you guys." We start moving in and David comes over, hugging Chloe. She immediately hugs back and her mother joins the hug. They soon part and David nods to me and I nod back. They give Chloe her keys and go to the car. As the door closes behind me, I can hear it driving away. We all walk into their living room and find that a teenage girl is sitting on the couch, a rifle in hand. It's a dark green with a simple looking black scope.

Kate rushes over and holds her arms out. "Come to momma!" Chloe and I look at each other with looks of shock. We look back to see Kate taking the rifle and kissing to fore end. She cradles it close to her chest and sits down next to the girl. "It's okay, baby. Mommy's home, she's going to take care of you now. Don't worry, momma's home..." Her voice drops to a jumbled whisper.

The teenager on the couch sighs and rolls her eyes. "You're still as weird as ever sis."

Kate glares at her and then chuckles. "Oh hush, Lynn. Remember who kept you fed all those years." Kate rubs her hand along the rifle stock almost affectingly. "Don't bad mouth my little girl."

I look over at Chloe and she's still a bit disoriented. Kate's father comes over and sits in a chair next to us. "Don't worry about Katie. She'll be like that for a few minutes and then she'll be back to reality." He motions to the comfortable looking chairs next to us. We all take seats, Chloe sitting on the couch next to Kate. "I would like to warn you though, try to take that rifle away and she'll beat you within an inch of your life..."

Chloe looks over and blinks a few times. "Really?"

Her father leans in and nods. "You see, Kate used to have another sister. But then, one day, she tried to take away the rifle..." he shakes his head and leans back. Chloe gulps and clears her throat, slowly moving away from Kate.

"He's only joking with you, yanno." Chloe nearly jumps as another girl walks into the room, older than the teenager on the couch, but looking younger than Kate. "I did touch the rifle, but she just yelled at me for a minute. Then she felt so bad that she gave me a hug for a good five minutes."

"Well you were crying! I'm not heartless!" Kate stands up and slings the rifle over her back, walking over and hugging her sister. "Missed you Jennifer." Jennifer carefully wraps her arms around Kate so as to not disturb the rifle.

"Missed you too Kate." They are hugging and I see Kate pat her shoulder.

They part from the embrace and Kate grins. "Have dinner yet?" Jennifer shakes her head and Kate takes off the rifle, opening the bolt and taking a bullet from the sling, putting it inside and closing the bolt. She walks over to the door and cracks open the nearby window. She sticks the rifle out and takes a breath. I cover my ears with everyone else and watch Kate intently. The wind gently blows through the window, playing with her hair which she has let down. I am watching he stand, still as a tree and wonder when she will do something.

_**BOOM!** _

Kate lean back, pulling her rifle inside and cycling the bolt, a bullet casing popping out. She puts in another bullet and looks over at Chloe. "Help me drag it over."

Chloe nods and as she's walking to Kate, her father holds out a sheathed knife. Chloe takes it and nods, walking over to Kate. The two of them go out the door and Victoria and I go to the window, watching. Kate has her rifle in her shoulder, the barrel pointed at the ground. She is looking all over the tree line, making her way to a large buck that she's just shot. When they reach it, she takes the knife and starts to cut it.  We can't see what's going on, but Chloe is holding her hand over her mouth and then she turns to the side. Even from the house, I can hear her throwing up. Kate looks over and shakes her head, pulling something out of the deer. "What are they doing?"

"Field dressing it." I look over to Victoria and raise an eyebrow. "What? My uncle was a marine. We were really close..." I nod and give her a side hug, squeezing her gently. We keep it chaste and go back to just watching. Kate is holding the hind legs and she is dragging it towards the house. Chloe soon picks up the front end and helps Kate carry it around the side of the house.

Kate's dad sighs and gets up, walking into the other room. We follow him into another room and out the back door. We walk out onto the deck and look around, seeing Kate tie the deer up to some posts in the ground. "Still have the smokehouse working?"

"Of course. We have a few salmon in there right now, but we can make room." Mr. Marsh goes inside, leaving Victoria and I to watch as Chloe and Kate come over to the deck, following them inside.

"Chloe, I'll bring you to the bathroom and we can wash up." She turns to her father and sighs. I'll leave you with these two, they're the ones in danger." Kate walks away and Chloe stumbles after her, looking back at her father and I to see if something is going to happen. After they leave, he motions for us to sit down.

I sit down first and Victoria takes a seat next to me. "So, I know that you two young women are friends of Katie. I don't need to know why you two are in trouble, I trust her judgment, but I need to know who is coming after you."

"Well," I rub the back of my head, feeling his eyes on me. "A couple of girls from school have beef with us. They're our age, we just upset them somehow..."

_They never really told us why they were coming after us so aggressively..._

He sighs and nods. "I want you two to stay in the house at all time. Katie and your other friend are only ever going to leave the house together and they'll be armed, never venturing too far. We have some ground rules though. No horsing around past 10, and no snooping or stealing. We value our privacy and we value trust. I will not have a thief in my home." We nod eagerly, accepting the very simple rules. "Good. I'm gonna assume that you're gonna be in Katie's room, especially since you two need to be safe. So, I'll leave you to it." He looks over at Lynn and nods towards us. "Take em' up to Katie's **_room_**."

Lynn nods and smirks. "follow me, guys." She begins walking to the stairs and we follow. She goes up the stairs, and then over to a door. She opens it and there is a second set of stairs. She begins walking up them and I look around. Victoria is right behind me, pretty close. I look down and see why.

_Damn, these stairs are steep as hell._

When we reach the top, we look around. We are in an attic, with a mattress on the floor and a footlocker behind the head of the mattress. There is a few pieces of paper that are nailed into the wood at the various windows. There is one at each end of the attic and there are two on each wall. Each window has the glass and some shutters, which are open on most of them. As we walk towards the center of the room, we have to hunch down a little to keep from hitting out heads on the ceiling. There are footsteps coming from downstairs, approaching us fast. I hear them coming up the stairs behind us and I turn to see Kate, closely followed by a blushing Chloe. "Holy shit, Katie! This is hella cool!" She looks around and sees the notes nailed next to the windows. "It's like your own little lair."

"Yeah." Kate sighs. she walks over to something covered with a dusty sheet. She pulls the sheet off and opens another footlocker. She hands out shooting muffs to us, leaning her rifle next to one of the windows. "Lynn, you head downstairs and help with the cooking. Close the door on your way out." She pulls out what looks like a combat knife and looks over at us as we hear Lynn close the door. "Please, make yourselves at home. I'm just going to do some target practice."

"Love, don't you need targets for that?" She eyes Kate as the girl unsheathes the knife and walks over to a mirror.

"They're out there..." Kate takes her hair, putting it into a pony tail. She takes the knife and cuts away the hair right above the ponytail, making most of her hair fall away. She looks at the short, improvised haircut, nodding and putting the knife in the leather home, and back in the chest. She takes out an old looking white box and closes the chest, walking over to  the window near the mattress. She drops the box next to her rifle.

"Well, that was a big unexpected." Chloe speaks as she walks over to us, about to sit on the mattress with us. Kate walks over and suddenly grabs her face, pulling her into an aggressive kiss. Chloe squeaks into the kiss and then kisses back.

Kate pulls away and places a finger on Chloe's chin. "Is that a bad thing?"

"N-no..." Chloe shakes her head and blushes. "I honestly like it."

"Then you're going to love me..." Kate kisses her forehead and walks over to the rifle, pulling out orange earplugs and kneeling on the floor. She puts in the earplugs and throws open the window. She takes her rifle and sighs, putting in five bullets from the white box. "Just like old times." I put on the shooting muffs and lay down, resting my head in Victoria's lap.

_I'll just try to relax a little._

 

_ **Kate:** _

I sigh as I put the rounds in the chamber, looking at the land.

_The wind socks aren't blowing today, so wind isn't a factor right now._

I glance over at one of the note pages on the frame:

 

_**Northern Window:** _

_**funky tree - 50 meters** _

_**steel plate - 100 meters** _

_**steel silhouette - 200 meters** _

_**Plywood - 300 meters** _

 

I take a deep breath, kneeling near the window. I wrap part of the sling around my wrist, resting the fore end of my weapon on my knee. I set the butt into my shoulder and rest my cheek, looking down the scope. I make some minor adjustments and aim for the plate at 100 meters. I breathe slowly and steadily, closing the bolt and pressing my finger against the trigger. Once my heart beat is even, I push out the air in my lungs, centering my crosshairs on the target. I keep from breathing again and squeeze the trigger between heartbeats.

**BOOM**

After a fraction of a second, the ping of the bullet hitting the plate echoes through the room faintly. I smile to myself and get up, closing the shutters and walking over to the bed. I look over to Max and Victoria, noticing that they are resting, their eyes closed. I open the foot locker and pull out my snubnose revolver, handing it to Chloe. I kiss her cheek and push her earmuff off, whispering to her. "Keep this handy in case you need to save my ass." She chuckles as I walk back to the chest, pulling out some bullets and putting them into her hand. She puts the ammo in her pocket and the revolver is tucked into her jacket. We share a smile as I walk to the window across the room, opening it up and cycling the bolt. The casing falls onto the wood floor with a nice little thunk. I make sure that the strap is wrapped well around my arm and look at the notes. They are the same as the last (Except for saying "Southern Window") so I take aim at the other plate and plant my feet firm. I steady my breath and wait for the gap in heart beats.

**BOOM**

_Ahhh, just like old times. I could shoot all day, just to hear that satisfying metallic ping..._

\-----------------------

I spend the next half hour shooting the various targets from the different windows. In the end, I go through about 45 rounds. Most of it is just some old target loads that I made when I was younger. After I fire the last round, I pull out the old plaid blanket and set it near my bed, pulling out the cleaning kit and setting down the rifle. I begin to clean it and I look over at Chloe, who has taken off the shooting headphones and is just looking at me. I smile to her and she smiles back. "So, love, are you going to be playing with the rifle all night or do I get time with ya?"

_She's smiling, but I know that she's feeling insecure._

"Don't worry. Max and Vic will get the mattress, so I'll have to break out the sleeping mats and sleeping bag. There's only one so I think you'll find that we will have plenty of time to be close." I finish cleaning my rifle and gently pick it up, moving the blanket over to the side and placing the rifle and cleaning kit on top. I grab the guest sleeping mats and roll them out, laying down on one and motioning for Chloe to lay next to me. She lays on her back and I place my head on her chest, over her heart. I listen to the rhythmic thumping and I smile to myself. I look over to Victoria and see that she is taking off hers and Max's shooting muffs and putting them to the side, letting Max lay down and cuddling up to her.

_I guess I could take a short nap. If anything happens I'll hear it or someone will wake me..._

I smile to myself and nuzzle into Chloe, letting her heartbeat lull me to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone out there happens to be a gun nut like me, Kate's rifle is a Remington 700 chambered in 308
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	11. ...run, for your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought my next update would be on a new Laptop, but it broke in shipping. Sorry about the wait.

_ **Max:** _

I groan and I try to roll over and find something hard against my back. It moves away and I open my eyes, looking over at Victoria. I whisper to her softly, trying not to wake anyone else. "Hey Vic."

"Hey there sleepy head. You were out for a while." She kisses my forehead and looks over my shoulder. I look over my shoulder and see Kate laying down next to Chloe, her head laying on the chest of her girlfriend. I turn back to Victoria and smile. "Max, what's going on in that head of yours?"

"Well, I was thinking..." I rest my forehead against hers, leaning so our lips are close. "I'm laying with the girl who I love more than anything, and I'm recovering from a life threatening injury, and I need a favor."

"Anything..." Despite how quiet we are, her voice is still filled with care and concern. I can see a shine in her eyes, pulling me in for a moment.

"Well, I could use some get well kisses." I smile as Victoria places her hand on my cheek, kissing me. I can feel the love and passion behind it. I feel her lips against mine and her tongue pushing into my mouth. We kiss and hold each other close, letting everything fade away. After an eternity, the sound of shattering glass brings us back to the present. I pull back and see Lynn looking at us, shock in her eyes. I sit up and look around. "Lynn!"

Kate jumps up and shakes Chloe's shoulder. "Lynn, wait a minute..." Lynn turns around and sprints down the stairs. "Fuck!" Kate puts her head in her hands, sighing loudly.

"UUUUUGH!" I let my head fall against the pillow. "Hold on, I'll fix this."

"Max you don't ha..." Chloe is cut off as I hold out my arm, stopping time.

Victoria squeaks and grips onto me. "Max, are you sure this is okay? You need to keep from over doing it-"

"Shut up Vic." I grit my teeth and keep pushing backwards against time. I feel blood dripping from my nose as I watch the plate fly upwards and Lynn's face changes into a wild grin. She walks backwards and I keep going for a little longer. I stop going back and get up, quickly moving over to Chloe and Kate. I slap Chloe's shoulder and shake Kate's side. Kate and Chloe both sit up fast, almost knocking me over.

Kate notices the blood and grabs her rifle. "Where...?" Her voice is hushed and cold, an edge to it.

"Lynn caught us." I hear footsteps nearby. I look over to Victoria "sleep!" She nods and pretends to sleep. Kate hands over a box of tissues and Chloe starts wiping the blood away. I can hear Kate messing with metal things behind me.

"Hey you guys, I brought you some sandwhich- MAX!" Lynn sets a large plate down next to us and kneels down. "What happened?" She looks over to Kate, worry all over her face. "Should I get dad?"

"No." Kate sighs, turning to her younger sister. "Max hit her nose on a beam when she was walking around, she just needs to let the blood clot."

"Oh, okay. Well, here's some food. I figured that at least one of you might be hungry."

"You're right, I am starved." Chloe reaches for the sandwich, but Kate slaps her hand. "Ow, what was that for?!"

"Your best friend, who is bleeding and whose here for the purpose of getting better, should have first dibs. Don't you think?" Kate raises an eyebrow and she keeps her voice kind, but it still has a cutting edge to it.

"I-I guess you're right." Chloe looks over at me and offers the sandwich. "Dig in Maximouse!"

"I'm not that hungry, I'll just take a few bites."

"You sure?" Chloe looks a bit concerned but I nod and she seems to calm slightly.

"You can have the rest. Unless you're afraid of cooties or something." I smirk and Chloe sticks her tongue out. I look over to Lynn. "Thanks Lynn, you're very thoughtful, just like your older sister." I take a bite of the sandwich and hand the sandwich to Chloe.

_Ahhh, BLT. I love me a good BLT..._

Lynn is blushing and I tilt my head to the side. "I take that as a compliment." She gets up and brushes off her skirt, looking around the room. "I'll be downstairs if you need me. Dad and Jen went to the store and I'm incharge until Kate comes down."

"Which I will do right now!" Kate chuckles. "I love you sis, but you are not old enough to be looking after the house."

"fair..." Lynn starts walking down the stairs, looking at us before continuing down. After her footsteps disappear, Kate sobs.

Chloe pulls her close and kisses her forehead. "What is it love?"

"I can't stand hiding from her. Hell, Max had to...to...do her thing and keep Lynn in the dark." Kate buries her face in Chloe's shoulder.

"Well, It doesn't help that Max and I were swapping spit on the mattress." I feel Victoria's arms around my waist and her chin on my shoulder. "That's what really set her off last time."

"So Max brought you back with her?" Chloe asked, look over at me.

"I barely had it in me to bring one person back with me and I knew that it would be much easier and faster if I didn't have to break up a make out session." I sigh to myself and shake my head. "Besides, she clung to me for dear life." I feel Victoria's face begin to warm up and she nods. "Well, let's get going before we get in more trouble."

Kate nods and looks out the window for a moment, reaching into her storage chest. She pulls out a few small revolvers, handing them over to Vic and I. "6 shots each. We'll go outside and do some shooting." She reaches back, moving around some and then pulling out a bag. "I have the supplies here. We could all use a little practice." She puts the sling around her shoulder along with her rifle, going over and throwing up a bed sheet, pulling out a few more rifles. "Let the fun begin."

\--------------------------

"This is fun?" I hold the revolver in my hand, feeling its weight.

_This is so alien to me. I've picked up a handgun before, but I've never tried to use one..._

"It's more fun then seeing you get shot full or holes or cut to pieces." Kate adjusts my hands and arms again. "Makes sure that the dot on the end is in the little window at the back." She presses my finger to the trigger. "Squeeze slow and steady. Don't jerk or you'll miss, don't go too slow or you're dead."

"Amazing encouragement Kate! I feel better already!" She sighs and shakes her head, taking the revolver from me.

She aims at the bottles on the fence, cocking the hammer and squeezing the trigger in about a second. As the shot echoes, she takes the revolver and sticks it into my hands. I get into position again, pointing it down range. I pull back the hammer slowly, looking at the bottle and aiming as best I can. I pull the trigger and watch it go flying. "See, you're getting the hang of it. Now if only you could be like that every time."

"Kate..." I look over to see Victoria just looking at her revolver. "How do I refill this thing?" Kate goes over and starts showing her how to reload it. When she finishes, she walks over and grabs a lever rifle, walking to us and smirking.

"You ladies ready for a show?" I nod and I can see Chloe bouncing in place with excitement. "Alright Lynn, lets do this." Lynn walks over with a rifle I haven't seen before. She pulls back on a small nod until it clicks. She lets it go and looks over to Kate.

"You ready to get beat sis?"

"The day you out shoot me, I'll let you know what my special secret is." Kate looks over at us and winks at Chloe. "Alright Chloe, watch carefully." Kate sighs and aims at a paper target on a tree.

**Bang click-click, Bang click-click, Bang click-click, Bang.**

Lynn chuckles. "You still got it sis. Too bad I'm gonna beat ya." Lynn aims at the paper next to it and fire.

**Bang, Bang, Bang, Bang.**

We all begin walking towards the targets and when we get there, Kate turns to us smirking. "Beat ya sis."

"How?!" Lynn looks in disbelief at the target. "I got them all in the bulls eye!"

"You got three in the bulls eye, you fired four. Also, there is a fifth hole in the corner of my target."

"Ugh, I hate you sometimes." Lynn shakes her head, walking back towards the house. She gets about half way to the house and stops, looking out towards the road. "Hey Katie, I see something out the-"

**BANG!**

Lynn falls to the ground, her body going limp and her eyes open wide. Before I can think, my hand is on Kate's shoulder and I and pushing time backwards again. Kate looks over at me and I grit my teeth. "Walk. To. Her."

Kate glares at me for a minute and then begins walking forwards. I am struggling to move time and I eventually have to just stop it for a moment. I look over to Lynn, seeing a bullet hover inches from her chest. I feel the blood flowing freely as I push against time with all my might. It resumes to move backwards the bullet moves away quickly and I stop as Lynn begins moving backwards. I let go of time as my legs give out from under me, the ground rushing up to meet me. After a moment, I'm picked up and I her people running as the world goes black.

 

_ **Victoria:** _

I'm walking behind Max, watching her closely.

_She's so beautiful. The way the light hits her, and the way she does things..._

I am about to reach out for her hand when she disappears. I look around and see her fall to the ground. I break out into a run, Chloe fast on my heels.

_She must have had to go back..._

When I reach her, I scoop her up in my arms and I begin running after Kate and Lynn. They grab the weapons and ammo, running into the house. I run over to the corner of the room, setting Max down in a chair and grabbing some tissues. I wipe her face as best I can and keep her upright. I hear gunfire and I look up, seeing Kate kneeling next to the window. She has her normal rifle, shooting shot after shot.

**Bang**

**Bang**

**Bang**

**Bang**

**Bang**

I hold onto Max and keep the tissues on her nose.

_She must have seen one of us get hurt. That is the only reason that she would turn time back enough to do this do herself._

After a few moments, I hear a car starts and the tires squeal. Kate comes over and kneels next to us, her eyes wide and sweat on her forehead. "Is it just the nosebleed? She wasn't hit was she?"

"I don't think she got hit. I just see the nosebleed." I check her sides and nod to myself, seeing that it's true.

Kate checks her pulse and breathes slowly. "She's okay."

"How did you guys know what to do...?" I look over to see Lynn, watching us with scared eyes.

I stand up and walk over to her. "Lynn, I know that you might not believe me, but I have to tell you the truth. We have to keep it our little secret though, okay?"

Lynn looks over at Kate, I look and see that Kate is torn. She eventually nods. Lynn and I look back to each other. "Okay. W-what is it...?"

"Max..." I close my eyes for a moment and take a deep breath. "She's special. She is kind of like my guardian angel." Lynn looks at me with wide eyes. "She doesn't want anyone to know, but she has some things that she can do and she uses them to keep me safe. She's even helped Kate and Chloe." I look over to Max and I feel my stomach tie itself in even tighter knots.

_She does this for us. She is killing herself to keep us all safe. I'm not really lying about her being my guardian angel. She may not be a real angel, but she is more than I could ever ask for, let alone deserve..._

"Why is she hurt?"

"You see, every time she helps us, it takes a lot out of her. She's had to save us so much, that it's tearing her up inside." I look over to Kate. "What happened by the way?"

"Lynn...the bullet that they shot at us...it killed Lynn..." Kate chokes up and Chloe is standing by her side, holding her in a tight embrace and rubbing her back.

"What? W-what do you mean it...it killed me...?"

"I watched you get shot with my own eyes Lynn. But Max...Max is a time traveler. She brought me back to before you got shot and we all ran to safety. But she's had to time travel so much lately that it's slowly killing her..." Kate's voice is sad, full of tears.

Lynn looks at her sister, obviously shocked. In the background, I hear a the sound of an engine, followed by a groan. I turn around and see Max stirring gently. "Max..." I rush over to her side and hold onto her. I look over at Lynn, staring at her with a serious look. "This is only between us. You can't even tell her I told you!" Lynn nods and I look down at Max for a moment.

_Please don't hate me Max, I was only doing what I felt I had to. I just hope I made the right choice..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am getting another laptop in the mail in a week or so. Hopefully it will make it in one piece and I can start doing more updates like I've wanted to for months. (Fingers crossed.)
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	12. Where's the Lamb Sauce?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please ignore the meme title of this chapter, I'm running out of cleaver ideas for chapter titles.

_ **Kate:** _

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I watch Dad and Jenifer park the car and get out, walking to the front door. "Lynn, remember, you can't say anything about Max, okay?" My little sister nods and I put the rifle down, walking to the door. I unlock the door and stand so that most of my body will be hidden. I pull out the pistol from my belt and hold it ready, hidden behind the door. I throw the door open and look around quickly. I see no one around except for my father and Jenifer. They quickly walk inside and I close the door, locking it back up.

"The back door is locked up and all of the windows are closed." Chloe walks back into the room, looking over to me.

I nod and sigh, looking over to Jenifer. "I took everyone out to shoot. I needed to teach them how to use firearms and they did fine, until someone started shooting at us and almost killed Lynn..."

"Did you hit em'?" My father sounds like he is angry but he keeps it reigned in.

"Nothing bad. I think I might have hit one of them in the shoulder, but there were two of them and they just got in their car and left. We were patching things up when you guys drive in." I try to stand between Max and my father, to keep him from asking too many questions.

"Is Maxine okay?"

_Well, so much for that plan..._

"Yeah, she just fell earlier. She's exhausted and so we carried her in here after the shooting started." I look over at Victoria and I can see that she is a nervous wreck. Her hair is a bit messy and her head is in her hands.

"Well, we should keep things tight from now on. No going outside unless you have to and stay alert at all times." My father walks over and takes Lynn into a tight embrace. "I'm not losing a daughter..."

Jenifer walks over to me and taps my shoulder, nodding for me to follow her into the next room. I follow her into the kitchen and she gets in real close, whispering to me. "Kate, I need you to tell me the truth. Between us, are any of your friends here with you gay?"

I scratch the back of my neck and clear my throat, avoiding eye contact. "All of them."

"I can tell. The blue haired one is failing to be stealth about looking at you and Max's...'falling over'" Jenifer uses air quotes and tries to hide an annoyed look. "It's hitting that blond girl pretty hard. I might even venture to say in more than a friendship way."

"Shit..." I sigh and drop my forehead onto her shoulder. "I need them to be safe, Jen. I can't let them get hurt. Don't tell dad, he might kick us out."

"I've been telling you for years Kate, dad won't care that you're gay. It's still your conversation to have but, like I've been saying from the day you came out to me, I'm here for you if you make that leap." She begins rubbing my back and I take a few deep breaths.

"You stay quiet about this to the others. I don't even know if my friends should know that you saw right through their act."

"Oh you know me, Katie. I've always been the perceptive one. Dad and Lynn are probably too busy worrying about everything else to give it the slightest care." I nod looking around, seeing a little blob of hair sticking out from behind the wall.

"Lynn, how long have you been listening." I speak in the same tone and manner that I used when I was talking to Jenifer, but Lynn still responds.

She turns the corner and looks at me, wide eyed. "All of it..."

Jenifer walks over and kneels down in front of Lynn while I walk back until I bump into the counter. "Look Lynn, I need you to not talk about this with dad or any of your friends. You get that? We need secrecy here. This is not the time to have this conversation with dad. We will have it, but not until after all of the drama is done. Promise?"

Jenifer holds out her pinkie and Lynn nods, holding out her pinkie as well. "Promise." They wrap their pinkies together and shake their hands. "You do know that I'm getting a little old for pinkie promises, right?"

"Hey, you did it!" Jenifer stands up and smiles over at me, walking towards the living room. "I'm gonna help dad unload the car."

"Okay." I take a deep breath and look over to Lynn. She has her head tilted to the side and she is looking at me. "What is it, Lynn?"

She walks over and pokes my stomach gently. "I thought that things like you were spawn of Satan..."

_Ouch, my feelings..._

I hold back from cringing and I slowly wrap my arms around her, holding her close. She stiffens up and I let her go, walking to the doorway. "You heard Jen, we'll talk about this later..."

 

_ **Max:** _

I can feel the pressure in my head, pounding away to the beat of my heart. I groan and before I know it, there is a hand grabbing onto my shoulder. "Max...?"

"Vic...?" I slowly open my eyes, seeing a blur of motion before my eyes. They slowly adjust to show my girlfriend, kneeling infront of me with a concerned look.

_How did I get here? Come to think of it, where is here?_

I look around slowly, seeing a dresser in the corner of the room. I see a door on the far wall and I look down under me, seeing a bed. "We had to get you cleaned up, and so Chloe helped me get you up here. We cleaned you up and I got you into bed. You were bleeding pretty bad after the shooting started. We were afraid you got shot..."

"Where's Lynn?!" I try to get up but I feel Victoria push me back down.

"Calm down Max,  She's perfectly safe. She wasn't hurt during the shooting." Victoria looks over at the door for a moment and then leans closer, whispering in my ear. "I assume she has something to do with why you rewound?" I nod slowly and I hear her sigh. The warm air of her breath caresses my skin, making goosebumps rise and my senses become more acute to the details of her. Her eyes are puffy and her hair -- even as short as it is -- is all over the place.

"Jeez, Vic. You look like hell." I reach up my hand, cupping her cheek. She rests her hand on top of mine and closes her eyes.

"I feel like it too, Maxie." I can see a tear begin to flow down her cheek and I can feel my heart begin to break. Victoria opens her eyes and looks into mine, making me feel her despair and sadness myself. "I can't bear the thought of losing you, Max. You are so important to me. You literally saved my life!" She takes my free hand and squeezes it. "You mean the world to me..."

I swallow and think of a way to respond, coming up empty. I move my hand that is cupping her cheek, putting it behind her head and pulling her closer. I kiss her forehead and let go of her, holding out my arms. She lays down on the top of the sheets, already in some kind of night clothes that she obviously borrowed from Kate. "I guess that means I'll let you get away with calling my Maxie."

"Chloe calls you Maxie-something all the time!" Victoria pouts and looks down, not making eye contact with me.

_That, that is hella cute._

I gently place my finger on her chin, moving it upwards and looking at her. "One, she's like a sister, she gets a free pass. Two, you can do anything you want with me. We are there for each other and pet names aren't that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things."

Victoria thinks for a moment and then smiles, faintly. "Do you really mean that I can do  _anything_ with you?"

I sigh and nod. "I'm really tired and I just want to rest while we're here, but when we get back to the dorms or some kind of living arrangement where we don't have to worry about one of our old friends pulling a drive by one us, I really want to set up a date night." Victoria giggles quietly and I feel myself smile. "I'm gonna nerd out on you though, just a fair warning."

"Max, I am a big closet nerd. You don't have to warn me about nerding out." Victoria, rests one of her hands on my cheek and I close my eyes, nuzzling into it.

"Thank you, Victoria."

"F-for what?"

"For changing my life." I take a deep breath and keep my eyes closed, my eye lids closing slightly tighter. "I was so bored and lonely before. You just, breathed meaning into my social life. I would have never seen myself standing up to popular people and making them back down. I would have never imagined kissing another woman and making a real relationship with someone. Thank you, for being with me."

"That's a two way street, Max." She kisses my cheek and moves the sheets, getting under them with me. She embraces me and I move in closer, nuzzling my head under her chin and letting her hold me close. "You saved my life and you kept me sane through all of this. You are so amazing."

I can feel my cheeks heat up and I can't find anything to say, except for one thing. "I love you, Victoria."

"I love you too, Max."

"Vicky?"

"Yeah, Max?"

"Can we get back to that get well kissing from this morning?"

She hesitates and looks into my eyes. "Are you sure? Someone might walk in again."

"At this point? Fuck them." I place my hand on her cheeks, looking deep into her eyes. "I am with the woman I love and I am falling to pieces, I need some unwinding. Besides, what is someone gonna do, shoot at us again?"

She gulps and shrugs slightly. "Guess you're right..." She tilts her head and kisses me, the world shrinking away until it's just the two of us, hands giving careful caresses and lips gently touching.

 

_ **Chloe:** _

I lay one my side, holding Kate from behind. "I know that it's going to be rough, but like you said, she just needs some time to adjust and exposure to you to show that gay people aren't the evil beings that some people would have her believe."

Kate shifts around in my arms, turning to look at me. "She was raised to have such strong convictions though, I just hope that we can get to her."

"I know what you mean." I look over at the door from the bed, thinking about earlier today.

_Ever since Lynn slipped away, she'd been so standoff-ish with Kate. I'm kind of sad that it happened now after Max went to the trouble of rewinding earlier. Heck, she could have probably kept from passing out if she hand't had to rewind before..._

"Chloe." I look down and see Kate's eyebrow raised.

"Hmm, what?"

"I was just asking what you think about my family knowing about us."

"Well, I'm proud to be with you and so that isn't anything to worry about. I'm just thinking about you. I don't want you to be hurt by them finding out."

"Don't worry cutie, I'll be fine." She takes one of my hands and wraps her fingers around mine. We squeeze our hands together and I close my eyelids, feeling as if the weight of the world is pressing down on them. "As long as I have my Chloe, I'll be fine."

"Well I'm here, Katie. And I'm not...leaving anytime...soon." I feel my mind grow fuzzy and my thoughts come slowly.

"That's what I'm planning on." I faintly feel her lips press against my cheek, but before I can ask her, I fall down the rabbit hole of my dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Until Next Time, Read On.


	13. Guardian Angel Without Wings

_ **Max:** _

I groan, opening my eyes and finding myself face to face with Victoria. I smile at her and she smiles back, moving a few stray strands of hair away from my eyes. We lay there and watch each other for several minutes, the sunlight gently streaming in through the curtains. "Vic..." I reluctantly break the silence, moving my hand to cup her cheek.

"Yes Max?" She nuzzles into my hand, resting her hand on my hip.

"I don't want to cause any trouble, and I know that I've already asked so much from you before, but..." I sigh and close my eyes for a moment. "When we get out of here, and we can be on our own for a few minutes without having to look over our shoulders, would you go on a date with me?"

"Max Caulfield, you say that as if it is a burden." I open my eyes, surprised by her stern (yet surprisingly gentle) tone. "I am madly in love with you and would do anything for you. Going on a date is would be fun for me! I will do anything and go anywhere with you if it makes you happy."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes, I do!" She kisses my forehead and smiles at me. "I leave that as an open offer."

"Oh really now...?" I begin to blush and I pray that this doesn't end up as a repeat of yesterday.

"Yeah." Victoria moves her hand so that it rubs up against my bare skin of my side. "As your lover, I do believe that affection leading to healing is my department..." She leans forward and kisses me, nibbling on my lip gently.

I groan quietly and I pull back for a moment. "Vic, don't you think we should lock the door?"

"Yeah..." She gets up and goes to the door, locking it. She hurries back and kneels next to my on the bed. Moving under the covers and holding herself over me, we start kissing again. She trails kisses along my jaw and over to my neck, one of her hands finding mine and our fingers lacing together. I move my head to the side for her  and lose myself in the feeling of her lips against my skin. I feel her hand squeeze mine and I squeeze her hand back. She slowly bites into my skin and I gasp. Victoria begins to suck on my skin and I can feel the pleasant pain that comes with it.

After a few moments I hear a muffled squeak and Victoria stops her affection, pulling the blanket up to our necks and laying next to me, looking back to see Lynn staring at us. There is a deafening silence between us, the gravity of the situation slowly beginning to sink in. Lynn slowly closes the door behind her, looking over at us and sighing, looking down at the floor. "You guys two, huh?"

"If you're asking if we're gay then yes, us too." I rub the back of my neck, one of my hands still tightly clasped in Victoria's. My girlfriend slowly pulls me closer and wraps herself around me. The silence threatens to take over again, but Lynn looks over to us and I can tell that she is thinking very hard about something.

_Judging with how she reacted to seeing us being affectionate, I can assume that she found out about Chloe and Kate as well..._

I watch as she crosses her arms and takes a deep breath. "How do you two do it? Love each other, I mean. It just... I've always learned that loving another woman is wrong, yet you two don't see to be bothered by it. How do you do it...?"

I can't find any words, but Vic steps up and speaks for us. "Well, we don't really care what others think, that's the first part. Besides that, I know that -- for me -- it was never really 'do I like girls or not' but more of, 'who would I be able to be in a loving relationship with'. That is what I used to judge who I could be with. It just happens that my preference is limited to women." She squeezes my hand again under the blanket and I squeeze back.

"You know Lynn," I clear my throat, planning my next words carefully. "I love Victoria a lot, and I know that your sister love Chloe a lot. I am assuming that things didn't go that well when you found that out, right?" Lynn shakes her head a little and sighs.

"No, it didn't."

"Well, the thing you have to understand is that gay people aren't bad or wrong, they're just different. I know that it might be...strange to you, but it's just something that has to be learned."

Lynn nods slowly, her eyes staying focused on us for a few moments longer, and then she looks at the ground, sniffling. "I... I think that I'm going to go talk with Kate. Thank you, both of you. I just needed to talk to someone."

"No problem, Lynn. You can always come to us if you need to." I give her a gentle, caring smile and she seems to cheer up hearing that. She leaves and closes the door behind her, walking away audibly. "How in the hell did she get in here...?"

"I must have accidentally unlocked the door when I went to go lock it. Sorry..."

"It's fine." I kiss her and smile. "Now, where were we?"

\------------------------------

I blink and look around seeing that the sun is setting. I feel the urge to use the bathroom, so I get up and kiss Vic on the forehead, heading to the bathroom. I close the door and lock it, doing my thing. When I'm done, I wash my hands and look into the mirror. I see that my hair is all over the place, starting to frazzle up and get out of control. I see the deep bags under my eyes and the wrinkles in my shirt. I dry my hands and head to the door, unlocking it and slowly twisting the knob. I hear someone breathing heavily from the other side and my blood runs cold.

_Who in the actual hell would be there...?_

I think about what I should do, and decide that I should throw the door open and rewind if need be.

_But what if I am subdued before I can rewind...?_

I take a deep breath and hold out my hand, bringing time to a grinding halt. I feel my head begin to throb gently and I open the door, finding myself face to face with a twisted beast. It's eyes are pure black and from it's head protrude sharp, jagged horns. It has short black fur and stands on two goat legs. In it's hands are the severed heads of Chloe, Kate, and Victoria, blood oozing from it's mouth. " ** _YOU'RE NEXT..._** " It's voice is like razor blades running along the length of a guardrail, sending sparks all around. I begin to feel my head throb harder and harder, time pushing against me with vengeance, trying desperately to move. " _ **LET GO, MAX. I PROMISE I'LL KILL YOU SLOWLY...**_ "

 

I scream and I sit up quickly. I feel arms pulling at me and I swing my fist at them as hard as I can. I hear a thump and I look over, seeing Victoria on the ground. Her eyes widen and she scrambles to get dressed. Just as she slips her shirt on, the door flies open and Kate and Chloe are standing there, weapons in hand. "What's going on?" I hear Mr. Marsh yell from down the hall.

"Sorry guys, Max just had a nightmare." Victoria walks over to the chair and sits down. "I went to go check on her and she freaked out."

Chloe looks over at me, worry still in her eyes, but she is pretending to not really care too much. "Okay." She turns around and calls down the hall, "False alarm, folks!"

Kate comes in and kneels down next to me. "Close the door, Chloe." Her lover does so and Kate looks at me, making eye contact as I hold the blanket up to cover my chest. "What happened." I look down for a moment and then back at her. "I saw something, in my dream. It looked kinda like a monster and it had all of your severed heads. It...It talked to me, even when I had time frozen..."

Kate squeezes my shoulder and nods. "Don't worry Max, it's only a dream. We're here for you if you need us."

I sigh and Victoria comes over, poking Kate's shoulder. "We should let her get dressed and then we can get something done about some foo-"

The sound of a gunshot echoes through the room. I look around to see a hold in the wall. I look over and Victoria is holding her throat, blood oozing out from the side. I throw my hand up and time moves backwards. I use my free hand to slightly dress myself under the covers, making sure that my underwear is all on before I unpause time. I throw my self at Victoria, making her hit the floor with a thud. "Max, what the fu-"

_**BANG** _

I look over and see that Chloe and Kate are crouched, arms covering their heads. "Thank You!" Victoria shouts, shaking like a leaf in a strong wind.

"Don't mention it..." I make my way over to my clothes, putting them on and making my way downstairs.

When I reach the bottom, Mr. Marsh and Lynn are hunched over in the corner or the room, rifles in hand. I rush over to the window, pulling out my phone and using the black screen as a improvised mirror. I see Taylor and Courtney walking towards the house, a pistol in Taylor's hand. She is pointing it at Courtney, who has her own pistol. Courtney is shaking and it is clear that she doesn't want to be here. "OH MAXINE! COME OUT, COME OUT OR THE BITCH DIES!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mean for that little spoopy part to be there, but it works, especially a few days after Halloween. I hope you enjoyed. :)
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


	14. Deal(ing) with the Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would have done an update last week but head injuries got in the way. I'm better now (even thought I got hit in the head, AGAIN!) and here you are with the next chapter, even though it's a bit shorter than I would have wanted, but it's only because the one for next Friday is going to be a little longer. Enjoy :)

_ **Max:** _

I look over at Kate and Chloe as they walk down slowly to meet me. Victoria hurries to my side, putting herself between me and the door. "You are not going out there. I don't care what Taylor says, you won't live long enough to turn around and say goodbye if you open that door."

I scoff and shake my head. "You act as if I can stop time itself."

I hear a loud cocking sound and a frightened squeal. "WHAT IS IT GOING TO BE CAULFIELD? YOU OR HER?!"

Victoria closes her eyes tight, a few tears coming out the sides. "She's coming out! Just don't hurt Courtney!" She takes a deep breath and runs over to me, giving me a fast, hard kiss. I can taste the salt of her tears and feel the warmth of her cheeks. Her fists are balled up in my shirt, shaking ever so slightly. She reluctantly pulls back, staring into my eyes and In a fraction of a second I can see so much in them. I can see pain. I can see fear. I can see anger and sadness. All of them swirling inside the gate to her soul like drops of blood in a glass of water. "Come back to me...alive." Her voice is soft and broken, wavering as she speaks.

I nod and shoot her a small smile. "Always..." I pivot, turning to Kate and grabbing her shoulder and throwing my hand into the air, bringing time to a crashing halt. Kate sighs and looks across the room, I follow her line of sight and notice that her father is staring at us, with Lynn shooting us a scared glance, turned half way towards her father. "We'll deal with it when we're all safe." I turn back to Kate and she nods.

"Well...what's the plan, Max?" She stands up and we slowly move to the door.

"First we- UUUUGH!" I cringe and my knees feel weak with pain. "We...hurry. I take...her gun....You...take....the....shot..." I stop and she grabs the handle, looking back at me. I unpause time and she flings the door open. I quickly freeze time again, seeing the looks on Taylor and Courtney's faces. Taylor looks furious and Courtney looks afraid for her life. "Aim...center..." I feel my head begin to feel foggy. Kate shoulders the rifle and takes a deep breath.

"Go." Her voice is short and breathy, coming at the end of her exhale. I let go of her and I can feel the pressure in my head decrease tremendously. Taking a deep breath, I move forward.

As I make my way over, I begin to see the finer details of this one moment in time that I am moving through. Taylor's teeth are showing slightly between her lips, Courtney's skin is running with drops of sweat and tears, a few drops of which are floating in the air near her body. When I am standing next to Courtney, I put my hand on Taylor's pistol, psyching myself up for what I am about to do.

_Just...need to...get her...away..._

I let go of time, feeling it slip away from my grasp and begin to flow again. I shove the pistol away and tackle Courtney, bringing her to the ground. As we impact, I hear the shot.

_**BANG** _

I feel a chill down my spine, waiting for something to happen. I hear a thud next to me and look over to see Taylor's lifeless eyes, staring back at me. I hear Courtney's frantic pleas to not kill her as my eyes roll into the back of my head and I feel my own body go limp.

 

_ **Victoria:** _

Before I know what is happening, Kate is standing at the door, firing her rifle. I jump up and look out the window, seeing Max roll to the ground, off of Courtney. I race past Kate and run over to Max, kneeling next to her. I roll her onto her side so that she doesn't choke on the blood that must be flowing down her throat. I look over to Courtney, pistol still in hand and shaking. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes, a look of both fear and guilt on her face. "Don't kill me, please don't kill me, please don't kill me..."

I reach over and grab the pistol, taking it away from her and tucking it into my waist band. "I'm not hurting you. Not after Max came out here to save your ass..." I reach down and scoop up Max, carrying her over to the house. Her head is resting against my shoulder and I can feel the warmth of her blood running down my shirt sleeve. After I've walked several feet, I turn around and look back at Courtney. "Well come on, we're not going to just leave to door open. We're not getting paid to heat the outdoors." She blinks a few times and then gets up, making her way to me.

I continue walking to the house, seeing Kate standing there with her rifle. She sighs as I approach, leaning closer. "We have some explaining to do..." She steps aside to reveal her father and Lynn, staring at us. I hear some movement as I walk into the house, moving over as Courtney walks in. As I close the door behind us, Jennifer walks in. 

"What's going on?! I heard the shot and nothing else happened." She returns a handgun to her waistline and sees Max. "Oh God, what happened...?"

"She's okay." I make my way over to the chair that we put Max in before, making sure that she is tilted forward slightly, sitting on the arm of the chair and holding her head in my lap. "We just solved our security problem..." I run my thumb along the side of her scalp and keep her head tilted forward. "It's safe to go outside now."

Courtney walks over and stands by me as Chloe moves to stand behind Kate. I can feel the room begin to tense up as I look over at Kate's father. "So, let me guess, one or more of you are gay, right?" I nod and look over at Kate and Chloe. Chloe rests her chin on Kate's shoulder and wraps her arms around Kate's stomach, looking up at me, a determined look in her eyes.

_She'd fight anyone for Kate, just like Max would fight anyone for me..._

Jennifer walks over and stand next to Kate, taking her hand. Kate looks at her and squeezes it. "Well dad, are you going to kick her out? Are you going to disown her and tell her to go to hell?"

"What? No, no no no. I would never do that. What got that idea in your head?" Mister Marsh walks over to stand on the other side of Kate, looking between Kate and Jennifer.

"So, you mean...you're not mad...?" Kate sounds hopeful, yet doubting. She lets go of Jennifer's hand and presses her hands over Chloe's.

"No, I'm not mad. A little disappointed, but not otherwise upset." He crosses his arms and looks up at the ceiling for a moment, looking back down to Kate. "I'm just disappointed that you thought you couldn't come to me. I understand that it can be hard and most of my disappointment falls to myself. I feel like I should have done more to let you know that you could come to me..." He uncrosses his arms and holds them out for a moment.

Chloe let's go of Kate and steps back, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. Kate sets her rifle to the side and walks into her fathers arms, hugging him. "Love you, dad..."

"I love you too, Kate. I will always love my children, no matter what..." I feel my heart swell and my lips turn up in a smile.

_A heartwarming moment. Something so rare. Something I wish I had more of._

I look down to Max, running my thumb along her skin more and moving some of her hair behind her ear.

_And I have someone who is willing to be with me and make those moments happen._

I look back to find that the attention has shifted to me, Lynn standing in front of me. "Is Max going to be okay...?"

"Yes, she is going to be fine." I glance back down for a moment, noticing more blood than what I'm used to coming from Max's nose. I pinch the bridge of her nose and look back to Lynn, smiling wearily. "Like we said before, she gets like this sometimes. When she tries to save us..."

"What do you mean by that? When you say she tries to save you..." Jennifer is standing next to Courtney, both of whom are staring at me, looks of confusion on their faces.

"Well," I swallow some extra saliva and close my eyes, taking a deep breath. "It's something that I can't really talk about right now. If Max wants to talk about it, then she can. Until then, I'm saying nothing..." I rub Max's shoulder and I hear some gagging. I help Max sit up straighter and I hear lots of movement around me. I kneel infront of Max and hold her head steady. Max's starts to open her mouth, but some blood leaks out. I hear a squeal behind me and then a bucket is in my face. I scoot over and Kate kneels next to me, holding onto the bucket. I hold Max's head and her eyes flutter open.

Blood oozes out of her mouth and then she spits some out. She starts coughing and gagging, eventually throwing up in the bucket. After a few unpleasant minutes, she is done. I stand up and look around. Mister Marsh and Lynn are gone, while Jennifer, Chloe, and Courtney are sitting on the couch, fiddling with their hands. I clear my throat for a moment and Jennifer looks at me. She immediately jumps up and blinks. "Do you need anything?"

"We could use some water and tissues." She nods and walks into the next room. A few moments later, she returns with a bottle of water and a box of tissues, handing me both. I hand Kate the bottle of water and I take a few tissues, wiping Max's mouth and checking her pulse. "Baby, can you hear me...?"

"V-victoria...?" Her voice is raspy and weak, making me take a deep breath before I answer.

I kneel again and hold onto her head. "I'm here Max, I'm right here."

She holds out her arm towards Kate. "w-w-wat-ter..." Her voice begins to break and she starts coughing again. I move back and she covers her mouth. After a moment, she pulls it back and I can see blood splattered over the palm of her hand.

I take a tissue and begin wiping away at it. "Don't worry baby, we have water for you. Just don't talk right now, okay? We've got it..." Max nods weakly and I toss the tissue in the bucket, which is now on the floor next to her. Kate is standing and she hands me the water bottle, walking over to stand behind Chloe. I crack the cap off and hold it out for Max. "Drink slow, babe. No reason to rush, no need to hurry." As I talk to her, I hold the bottle to her lips, helping her drink from it. I keep repeating my sentence, being as calm and soothing as I can.

After a few minutes, I put the cap on the bottle - which is now half empty - and I set it aside. I hold Max's hands and she looks at me, a smile on her face. "Thank you..." She speak so quietly that I have to strain to hear her. I nod and she takes a deep, slow breath. I get up and sit on the arm again, letting her lean against me. Her arms wrap around me and I rest my hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently.

_Pretty soon we're going to have to have a talk. But, right now, we're just all going to try and be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I promised, an update came this Friday (even if it was kinda late in the evening, but it counts!). I hope you all enjoyed, let me know what you think in the comments and...
> 
> Until Next Time, Read On.


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